(Photo Courtesy of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York)
Aug. 10, 2018 By Tara Law
The largest dragon boat festival in the United States will convene at the site of the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park this weekend.
Roughly 50,000 people are expected to attend the 28th annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, which will take place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festivities will feature international food; musical and dance performances, as well as races between more than 200 dragon boat teams on Meadow Lake.
Teams of 20 crewmen— 18 paddlers, a drummer and a steerer— will compete in the boat races, which traditionally are held annually on the week of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar.
On the shore, meanwhile, there will be a number of musical and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations, and international foods for festival-goers to explore throughout the weekend. 
An opening ceremony will kick off the festival with dragon dancing and appearances by city officials from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Then between 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Shaolin Warrior Temple Monks will perform special kung fu demonstration.
On Sunday, the U.S. Marines Corps’ Judo Team will present their craft from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. They will demonstrate the four techniques of the discipline: rifle and bayonet; edged weapons; weapons of opportunity and unarmed combat.
For a complete list of events, visit the link.
Admission to the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is free, and will take place rain or shine.
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