BEAVERTAILS OTTAWA ICE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL TO HOST THE 2ND IIDBF WORLD CLUB CREW ICE DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ice dragon boats at starting line
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, October 3, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival will proudly host the 2nd IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships February 9-10, 2024 as part of Ottawa’s 46th Annual Winterlude!
Organizers of the largest ice dragon boat races in the world are anticipating 1,200 competitors representing 100 teams from across Canada and around the globe, to brave the cold to compete on the Rideau Canal Skateway at Dow’s Lake for this unique East-meets-West experience that honours the roots of dragon boating as a Chinese sport and combines it with Canadian winter sport culture. Competitors will thrill visitors to the National Capital Region’s Winterlude festivities by racing along the frozen surface of the World’s Largest Skating Rink and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ice Dragon Boats adorned with dragon heads and tails and are equipped with skate-like blades that glide along the frozen 200-meter race course as competitors use spiked icepicks to propel themselves in pursuit of championship gold to the delight of cheering spectators! Top teams from the BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival’s qualifying rounds will advance to the 2nd IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships. Registration, which has sold out every year in the past in a matter of minutes, opens at 12:00 PM EST on October 4th.
The BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival will take place on unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation and will honour this with a special presentation by Indigenous Experiences as part of the event’s Opening Ceremony.
The festival also honours the cultural traditions and rituals of dragon boat racing with a performance by the Success Dragon Lion Dance, followed by the centuries old tradition of the mythological eye-dotting ritual which breathes fire into the ice dragon boat festival, to awaken the spirit of the dragon.
Performing the National Anthem will be C5: The Chinese Canadian Children’s Choir of Canada, who help celebrate the relationship between Canada’s capital City, Ottawa, and its sister city, Chinese capital, Beijing.
The festival’s partners at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation (ODBF) invite supporters to warm hearts this winter by raising funds through the ODBF Shiver ’N Giver Fundraising Drive to raise money for local charities. To-date ODBF has raised $5.5 million in support of over 75 Ottawa based charities. The 8th annual ODBF Shiver ‘N Giver fundraising races will be held on February 9th under the night sky on an LED lit race course. Races will be held for the top fundraising teams in the Mixed Division and Women’s Divisions.
Competition heats up following the first ceremonial musket shot being fired by members of the 100th Regiment of Foot prior to the start of races on Saturday, February 10th. After a full day of races Champions will be crowned in a closing awards ceremony at HMCS Carleton.
In addition to all the action on the ice, last year's massively successful free indoor concert series “Live @ The Rainbow” returns, from February 2 -19, to heat things up throughout Winterlude! The festival’s exceptionally well received free indoor concert series has previously included performances by Amanda Rheaume, Bedouin Soundclash, Craig Cardiff, The Commotions, Dear Rouge, Dwayne Gretzky, Kira Isabella, JW-Jones, Pony Girl, Twin Flames, We Were Sharks and more!
The festival will provide non-stop action and enhanced programming to participants and members of the public, free of charge, during the BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival and the 2nd IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships.
The BeaverTails Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival invites everyone to come to the Nation’s Capital to enjoy the 2nd IIDBF World Club Crew Ice Dragon Boat Championships and Live @ The Rainbow free indoor concert series.
Antony Cooper
Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival
+1 613-238-7711
acooper@icedragonboat.ca
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