TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Dragon boat races are underway across Taiwan as cities and counties celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
From north to south, local governments have staged dragon boat competitions alongside cultural fairs and riverside entertainment. The Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships has drawn 223 domestic and international teams and more than 5,000 athletes, according to NowNews.
Over the three-day holiday period, competitors are racing for a total prize pool of NT$3.61 million (US$113,909) at Dajia Riverside Park. The event has also expanded into a carnival featuring interactive challenges such as egg-balancing games, international stalls, and live performances.
At New Taipei’s Weifeng Canal, organizers have added themed activities alongside the races, including limited-edition festival giveaways such as illustrated fans and seasonal crafts. Visitors can also try their luck with scratch cards offering prizes of up to NT$6,666.
Families can also take part in children’s coloring activities. A light and music show along the canal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.
In Taoyuan, the event at Longtan Large Tourist Pond showcases the area’s distinctive kneeling paddling style, with more than 100 teams gathering to compete. A perimeter lakeside fireworks display is scheduled for Saturday.
In Hsinchu City, teams receive NT$4,000 upon completing races. In Miaoli, festivities include stage performances, local food stalls, family-friendly games, and traditional ceremonial events.
In Changhua’s Lukang area, nighttime dragon boat races remain a highlight, with a record 173 teams registered this year. In Tainan, races are taking place along the Tainan Canal between Anyi Bridge and Chengtian Bridge, with daily vendor stalls, cultural performances, and evening live shows.
Beyond the competitions, the Dragon Boat Festival, observed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, carries traditional meanings of warding off illness, seeking protection, and family reunion. The holiday is most commonly associated with the story of Qu Yuan, according to FarEasTone.
Qu was a statesman and poet from China’s Warring States period, 475-221 BC. He is said to have drowned himself in the Miluo River after his exile, grieving that he could no longer serve his country, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Locals paddled out in search of him, throwing rice and eggs into the water to keep fish and shrimp away from his body. Over time, these customs evolved into today’s dragon boat races and zongzi traditions.
