2010 OPENING CEREMONY SET FOR
10 AM SATURDAY, JULY 24
One of the highlights of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival every year is the Opening Ceremonry, which has usually been held Saturday at noon. This year, we're kicking off the Festival with this most traditional of rituals.
We'll start off the festivities with the always-popular Team Parade, which is our version of the Olympics opening ceremonies where the teams marcjh into the stadium. Only our teams may be wearing wacky hats or costumes, and be accomapnied by folks in ethnic dress to represent their communities.
The Opening Ceremony itself is a cultural spectacle, featuring Chinese Buddhist monks chanting and blessing the festival and all the competitors, then performing a beautiful, spiritual, traditional Eye Dotting Ceremony with invited dignitaries to awken the spirit of the dragons within the race boats.
That ritual is followed by a stirring Dragon Dance featuring the 75-feet-long dragon brought to life by the Shaolin Hung Mei King Fu Academy in Boulder.
The crowds simply love the sights and sounds of this inspiration portion of the festival! Please join us for this colorful start to the 10th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival!
Here's a video of the 2009 Team Parade by devilboy80022
2009 Dragon Dance during the Welcome Ceremony by Programmerman
Vision & Mission 
One of the highlights of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival every year is the Opening Ceremonry, which has usually been held Saturday at noon. This year, we're kicking off the Festival with this most traditional of rituals.