Watch Colorful Dragon Boat Races on Lake Lanier Saturday

Spend a day at the races – the dragon boat races on Lake Lanier this Saturday. Colorful dragon boats will race and compete for prizes in the 18th annual Atlanta Dragon Boat Festival from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the 1996 Olympic Venue on Lake Lanier. Admission is free.
Seventy-two teams are competing this year. Activities start with blessing of the boats at 7 a.m. by Buddhist monks followed by races from 7:45 a.m. to noon and 1:10-3:40 p.m. Race heats are scheduled every 10 minutes.
An opening ceremony at noon features the Dotting of the Eye of the Dragon and an Asian talent performance. Awards will be presented from 3:10-3:40 p.m. followed by a 2000-meter race. Click here for the official schedule.
The festival is sponsored by the Hong Kong Information Center in Atlanta.
The 1996 Olympic Venue is located at 3105 Clark’s Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA. For directions, click here.