2017 Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy

The Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce will host its 17th Annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown. The Chinese dragon boat race dates back to over 2,000 years and is a popular sport among Chinese and Asian communities all over the world. Over 10,000 visitors are expected to attend this annual event.

Thirty dragon boat race teams will compete on the south branch of the Chicago River in beautifully decorated dragon boats, each consisting of up to 20 members: 18 paddlers, 1 drummer and 1 flag catcher.  The 18 paddlers row to the beat of the drummer, while the flag catcher of each team pulls a flag positioned in the water at the finish line.  The top two winning teams will compete for the championship. Races begin at 8 am. The Opening Ceremony begins at 9 am.

Congratulations to our thirty dragon boat teams who will be participating at the 2017 Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy! Thank you to all teams who registered. Due to high demand, unfortunately we were not able to accommodate all teams.

This year’s teams are: Bento Box #8, #4, #2, #66 (Chicago Fire Department – Chinatown), 9th District Guardians (9th District Chicago Police Department), AA Flying Dragons (American Airlines), Abbott ALCN (Abbott Asian Leadership & Cultural Network), AT&T APCA Dragons (AT&T/APCA), BMO Harris, Chicago Blades (Greater Chicago Dragon Boat Club), Chinatown Dragon Boat Team, DragoNG (Northrop Grumman), Express Dragons, Fueled by Rice, Grainger Dragons (Grainger), Here Technologies, We Love Hong Kong (Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of New York – Title Sponsor), House Lakeside: Game of Loans (Lakeside Bank), HSBC Red Dragons (HSBC), Judge Liu’s Crew, Ladder Up, MillerCoors Moon Lite Brews Cruise (MillerCoors), Miyoga Dragon Boat (Miyoga), Peking University, PwC Dragons (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP), Team OSI (OSI Group LLC), Team Toast’em & the Pop-Up Paddlers (Schulze & Burch Biscuit Company), Team Trooper (Illinois State Police), Tsinghua (Tsinghua Alumni Association in Greater Chicago), UIC Pyro Paddlers (University of Illinois at Chicago), United Sky Dragons (United Airlines), US Bank, Wells Fargo Aqua Beasts (Wells Fargo).

In addition to the exciting races, guests can enjoy riding a free Chinatown Trolley which will travel from the park and loop around Chinatown during the event from 9 am – 4 pm. There will also be children’s activities, vendor booths and entertainment programming throughout the day including Yin He Dance, exciting performances by the Hōkūleʻa Academy of Polynesian Arts, music and more!

Sign up to be an  Event Sponsor of the Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy. Each year, the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce donates a portion of its proceeds from the event to local schools and organizations of which nine were recipients in 2016. A limited number of Exhibitor Booths are also available at the event.  For more information and to sign up as a sponsor or vendor, click here. The deadline to sign up for sponsorship or exhibition booth is May 19, 2017.

Thank you to our Event Title Sponsor, Hong Kong Economic Trade Office of New York, for their generous support of this event.  Be sure to visit their booth and root for their team, We Love Hong Kong, at the races!

Also, thank you to our Presenting Sponsor: Chinatown Parking Corporation, Trolley Sponsor: Northstar Lottery, Event Sponsors: Comcast, MassMutual Illinois and US Bank and In-Kind Sponsor: Chicago South Loop Hotel.

If you have questions, please contact us at info@chicagochinatown.org or 312-326-5320.

2017 Sponsorship and/or Exhibitor Booth Form

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