Recently, you may have noticed some lizard-like vessels gliding across the surface of the Willamette River; those are the city’s famed dragon boats, which are back on the water practicing for the annual Portland Dragon Boat Festival, happening on June 6–7. They may look small from the top of a bridge, but take a stroll down the dock at the end of Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and you’ll find that the 1,760-pound, 40-foot-long traditional Taiwanese boats are pretty impressive up close: each holds up to 20 paddlers, with a caller giving directions at the front and a tiller steering at the back. The boats all boast a colorfully painted dragon’s head, rising high above the water at their bow. This year, more than 60 local, national, and international teams will compete in exciting four-boat heats during the 34th annual Portland Dragon Boat Races hosted by the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association.
On race weekend, South Hawthorne Waterfront Park serves as the finish line, filled with food carts, dragon boat-themed merch booths, and cheering fans. For each race, a 500-meter paddler dash (usually lasting between two and three minutes) starts under the Hawthorne Bridge, racing west across the Willamette and finishing in the bowl near the shore, where a flag catcher climbs on top of the dragon’s head and reaches out to capture the flag. Very exciting!
