This weekend, dragons will once again glide across the waters of Lake Merced in San Francisco, as the city's Dragon Boat Race returns after a six-year hiatus. The event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, coincides with the traditional Dragon Boat Festival, a holiday celebrated across many Asian communities.
Teams have been practicing on the lake for weeks, preparing for the races that feature brightly painted dragon heads mounted on long, narrow boats.
Sarah Wan, one of the event organizers, explained that dragon boat racing has deep roots in Chinese culture, especially in southern China. Each boat carries 20 paddlers seated in 10 rows, moving in perfect rhythm to the beat of a drummer positioned at the front.
The festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and statesman who, more than 2,000 years ago, became a symbol of resistance against government corruption. "The dragon is also the symbolism of Chinese culture about strength, about prosperity, and all the good faith," Wan said.
Wan, who is also a paddler herself, shared insights on what it takes to win. Success, she noted, comes down to teamwork, with every paddler moving in complete sync.
"We do a very strong start so that hopefully we can lift up the boat off from the water at the beginning," Wan said. "But different teams have different strategies.
Some of them do very long pulls, some of them do very deep pulls."
Beyond the races, the weekend festivities include a food festival, live entertainment, hands-on drumming experiences, a mini dragon boat activity for kids, and workshops teaching visitors how to wrap zongzi—sticky rice dumplings traditionally eaten during the holiday, sometimes known as Chinese tamales. Lake Merced will host both the races and related cultural activities throughout the weekend.
For more information, visit the 2026 San Francisco Dragon Boat Festival website.