Dragon Boat Festival | Dragon Boat Race

UK CHINESE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Since the Xinhua Chinese Association (XCA) introduced the first UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival (UCDBF) at the Salford Water Sports Centre in 2012, XCA has continuously been developing this event into a popular and well-known community. It is an event that contributes greatly to the multicultural and inclusive society, as well as promoting understanding, exchanges and friendship between the UK and China, which have been highly praised by all parties.

In 2023, the XCA joined the Salford City Council (SCC) and the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (BDA) together to extend the one-day event into a fabulous two-day one. It attracted more teams to race and audiences that all enjoyed the fun-filled, adrenaline pumping, water sports, together with the excellent cultural performances and delicious festival foods. UCDBF is now a well respected multicultural community event in the British society.

With the experience of XCA, together with SCC and BDA, they are determined to make Dragon Boat Festival an even more grand and successful event than ever before.

The UCDBF aims to achieve the following:

Attract more British people and institutions to participate in order to make the event a landmark cultural and sports activities for the communities of the British society.
Contribute actively to the multiculturalism inclusive society, for more peaceful and harmonious communities.
Promote the Anglo-China people’s understanding, exchange and friendship, as well as the economic and trade cooperation.
Promote the legacies of Salford and Greater Manchester, for cultural and tourism development.
Provide platforms for institutions and enterprises to share their business information and products with the public and potential customers.

WE GET TOGETHER,
WE SHARE THE FUTURE,
AND ALSO THE HAPPY TIMES & ENJOYMENT

DATE

Returning 13 & 14 JUNE 2026

VENUE

MediaCity & The Quays, Salford,

Greater Manchester, M50 3AZ

BASICS ABOUT
UK CHINESE DRAGON BOAT RACE

Dragon boat race is a team paddling sport of dragon boat racing. It's not a competition oriented event, any man and woman can enter the race, no experience required.

DRAGON BOAT CREW

Each team has ten paddlers, one drummer and one steersman who is assigned by event organiser.
The pulsation of the drum beats produced by the drummer may be considered the “heartbeat” of the dragon boat. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout a race using the rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronicity of all the paddlers’ strokes (that is, the cadence, picking up or accelerating the pace, slowing the rate, etc.)

PADDLERS

The paddlers sit facing forwards in the boat, and use a specific type of paddle which, (unlike rowing sweep, or scull), is not rigged to the racing water craft in any way. Therefore, Dragon boaters are paddlers not rowers or oarsmen/women.

STEERSMAN

The sweep, known also as the steersman, steers the dragon boat with a sweep oar rigged at the rear of the boat, generally on the left side. This is done by using the oar as a rudder, while the boat is moving, or by sweeping the stern of the boat sideways by pulling or pushing water with the oar as the boat is moving slowly or stationary.

DAY OF FESTIVAL

Opening ceremony.

36-48 dragon boat racing teams (amateur) compete for the championship, including the SCC team and other well-known institutions of UK, enterprise teams, Chinese community teams, etc. Cultural performances, institutional exhibitions, food sales, etc. (see details below)