Denver Magazine / July 2009 / Unexpected Treasure

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Unexpected Treasure

Can’t afford a trip to Bali this year? With a little imagination, Colorado’s impressive Dragon Boat Festival takes you there for free.

Denver may not seem like a bastion of Asian culture, but every July on the shores of Sloan’s Lake, you might just feel transported to somewhere in the South Pacific. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most comprehensive and unique Asian-Pacific festivals in the United States More than 300 local organizations identify themselves with Asian-Pacific cultures, and a large number of these groups take part in the festival, a free, multinational, multiethnic event that has become a mainstay on the Denver summer scene. “There is so much to celebrate as far as Asian-Pacific culture in Colorado,” says Alisa Zimmerman, executive director of the festival.

This year’s edition, July 25 – 26 at Sloan’s Lake Park, will only be about two-thirds the size of the 2008 festival — which drew a record of nearly 110,000 people — due to declining corporate sponsorships, budget cuts, and the overall strain that many nonprofits are feeling in the current economy. Still, while Zimmerman concedes the smaller size will mean slightly shorter hours and fewer races, she hopes it will help maintain a level of intimacy. Here, you’ll find an overview of what you can expect.

Actual Dragon Boats

More than 2,000 years old, the exotic sport of dragon boat racing is similar to canoeing, and is traditionally known for its decorative boats with Chinese dragon heads and tails.

Featuring competitive, corporate, intermediate, novice, and youth teams, racing either a 250- or 500-meter distance, the competition at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival can be pretty stiff. Just ask the team from the Lao Buddhist Temple of Colorado, based in Broomfield, which has won the youth division for six straight years. As the team’s captain, Sy Pong finds the considerable training it takes to prep for the festival pays off with a jovial spirit on race day. “Luckily for us as a community, this is part of our whole culture. It’s in our blood,” Pong says.

Are We Hungry Yet?

Thai basil chicken curry, Saigon shrimp slaw … as roughly three-quarters of the vendors are Asian, the festival is one of the few places you can find a critical mass of Asian-Pacific items, including some you can’t readily find at other times. Several of the festival’s food vendors, such as the Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs Parish and Savory Saigon, are not traditional restaurants. The Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs sends 20 to 30 volunteers from its Wheat Ridge location to cook and serve a unique blend of Vietnamese cuisine, with proceeds used to support church outreach programs. And because of the festival’s nonprofit partnerships (charities are invited to man vending booths and take a cut of the profits), it’s likely you’ll be helping other causes when you try that beef satay or curry.

Hawaii 5-0

In 2009, the spotlight is on Hawaii. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood, and according to Zimmerman, past Hawaiian-themed performances have been some of the festival’s biggest highlights. “Our Hawaiian Polynesian performance groups are the most popular,” she says.

Other highlights will include Japanese Taiko drummers, Indian-fusion dancers, Tai Chi and Kung Fu teams, a Hawaiian cultural village, and Dragonland (for the kiddos).

And, Um, It’s Free

The festival is about as close as you can get to the real thing without plane tickets. For those within the community, it also engenders a sense of pride. “It’s a really nice, nice thing because Asian people keep to themselves a lot,” says Pong. “So it’s a feel-good thing as a culture and a community. It’s a tremendous thing for us.”