About the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival:

Carved wooden dragon boats swoop across Sloan's Lake in a festival of Asian arts and culture every July. In 2015, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary in the Mile High City. Although the festival takes its name from a centuries-old tradition in Chinese culture, the Denver event celebrates a diversity of Asian cultures.

"Today Dragon Boat racing is a popular international sport, and many of the races also include a cultural element, like Hong Kong's Dragon Boat Carnival, which was just held recently," said Gil Asakawa, the media chairman for the festival, in an email.


"In Denver, three leaders in the Asian American community planned the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival as a way to bring together our diverse Asian American Pacific Islander communities and share our colorful cultures with others while holding the exciting athletic competition."

When the Colorado Dragon Boat festival launched in 2001, the one-day event drew 16,000 visitors. In 2014, more than 120,000 visitors had the opportunity to sample Asian food, arts and cultures at the festival. Since its inception, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has expanded to a two-day event held over one weekend.

"[W]e only had five food vendors at that first festival, which was a one-day event, and they all ran out of food by the end of the day! These days we have almost 20 food vendors in two Taste of Asia food courts, that serve everything from Laotian beef jerky and Korean BBQ short ribs to Hawaiian shave ice and Chinese dumplings," Asakawa said.

Hours and Admission:

Hours for 2015:

Saturday, July 18: 10 a.m.

- 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Free Admission

Address and Parking:

Address:

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival will be held at Sloan's Lake park in northwest Denver. The festival is in the northeast quadrant of the park near Sheridan Boulevard and West Byron Place.

Parking:
Parking is $5 at Sports Authority Field. Free shuttle buses will transport festival goers from the stadium to Sloan's Lake. Hours for the shuttle buses are 6:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Other important info:

• On Saturday, July 18, the opening ceremony at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. and lasts until noon. Children will likely enjoy the Dragon Dance by the colorful Chinese dragon that concludes the ceremony.
• Although the festival officially starts at 10 a.m., dragon boat racing begins at 8 a.m. each day. Spectators are welcome to watch the races.
• Don't miss free screenings of anime in the "Two Days of Anime" tent.

Nina Snyder is the author of "Good Day, Broncos," a children's e-book, and "ABCs of Balls," a children's picture book. Visit her website at ninasnyder.com.