The 19th annual Charlotte Asian Festival and 13th annual Dragon Boat Races return to Ramsey Creek Park on May 19 in Cornelius. The one-day festival entertains visitors from across the globe with a wide variety of traditional Asian offerings such as authentic food, stage performances, intense Dragon Boat Races, cultural exhibits and a most colorful display of talents.
The Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Races are organized by the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce (CAACC) and in partnership with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and Visit Lake Norman (VLN). The CAACC joined forces with Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Department in 1999 as co-organizers to bring the festival as a way to introduce Asian culture and traditions to the greater Charlotte community. Since its launch in 2006, the event has been a big success in terms of attendance bringing an estimated 5,500 to 7,000 attendees annually.
The festival opens at 10:30am and runs until 5:00pm at Ramsey Creek Park, located at 18441 Nantz Road in Cornelius. Free parking and shuttle services are available at Newell Rubbermaid on 8900 North Pointe Executive Park in Huntersville. Onsite parking is not available at Ramsey Creek Park. The festival and races are free and open to the public. A full schedule of events is available on charlottedragonboat.com
The singing, dancing, and musical instrument performances are a mixture of Asian traditional and contemporary influences. Introduced in 2016, the Asian Music and Dance Fest (AMDF) continues to attract a rising number of young talented performers to the contest. It is open to all Asian Americans of any age, so this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent! Winning categories are Best in Dance Solo, Group Dance, Music Solo, Music Group, Vocal Solo, Special Award and the Judge’s Choice Award.
Dragon Boat racing continues to be the fastest growing water sports event around the globe. This year’s Dragon Boat race will feature the most boats in the event’s history. The event embraces and promotes competition, fair play, team building, and community cohesiveness. Organized competitions are held in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, culminating in World Cup Championship races annually. The exciting team competition is an important part of the Chinese traditional calendar and originated over 2,300 years ago on the life-sustaining rivers of southern China.