🏁 24th Annual Chinatown Dragon Boat Races Ping Tom Park 🐉 + Lunch in Chinatown

Join us for one of our favorite summer traditions! The 🏁 24th Annual Dragon Boat Races 🐉return to the Chicago River at beautiful Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown. Experience the excitement of the races, enjoy cultural performances (including traditional lion and dragon dances), and then we’ll head to one of our favorite spots in Chinatown for lunch.

We’ve done this event for the past five years, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser—don’t miss it!

We’re teaming up with several other Meetup groups for this fun event, so it’s a multi-group gathering! If you see my name with a large number next to it, that means lots of people are attending from various groups — it's going to be a great crowd!

Tentative Itinerary:
11 am - Meet & greet inside the park by the large Red Pagoda
11 - 1:45 pm --watch the boat races and all the other entertainment including Hokulea Polynesian dance, Samoan Fire Dance & Kung Fu
2 pm – meet back up by the Red Pagoda for those who wish to do lunch in Chinatown (optional)
2 – 3:30 pm – Enjoy late lunch at nearby Chinatown at Joy Yee Noodles, Ken Kee or Phoenix (optional)
**Schedule may change due to weather, like heat or rain, so check back!

After the races some of us may grab a bite at Joy Yee Noodles https://joyyee.com/ OR Ken Kee https://kenkee.com/ OR Phoenix https://www.phoenixrestaurantchicago.com/

Dozens of brightly decorated boats on the Chicago River at Ping Tom Memorial Park are chasing annually to promote literacy and other social issues. The races are also accompanied by delicious food, good music and dance.

The Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce will host its 24th Annual Dragon Boat Race for Literacy on June 21, 2025 at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chinatown. The Chinese dragon boat race dates back 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 worldwide.

Thirty-two 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. Races begin at 8 am. The Opening Ceremony begins at 9 am.
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 beautiful Chinese dancers, exciting performances by the Hōkūleʻa Academy of Polynesian Arts, music and more!

For more information on the Dragon Boat Races click on the following links:
https://www.chicagochinatown.org/bu-lun
https://ccc-foundation.org/dragon-boat-race-for-literacy/

I WILL POST MORE UP-TO-DATE DETAILS CLOSER TO THE EVENT WHEN THE ORGANIZERS LIST THE FULL ITINERARY OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES!!!
https://www.chicagochinatown.org/

The easiest way to get to Ping Tom Park is by public transportation as parking can be a challenge during the festival. Use the SpotHero or ParkWhiz app if you want cheaper parking. The red line Cermak Rd/Chinatown stop is the closest, or you can take the scenic Chicago Water Taxi (yellow boats), as the last stop is Chinatown. See links below to plan your route:
https://www.transitchicago.com/
https://www.chicagowatertaxi.com/

There is metered street parking on Archer and Wentworth & free side streets, but some of the side streets are permit only. Suggest parking app ParkWhiz or SpotHero if not familiar with the area. It does get congested during the weekends

PLEASE NOTE OUR CURRENT NO SHOW POLICY:

1. 3 no-shows without updating your rsvp, and you will not be able to sign up for future events for 3 months
2. cut-off time to update your rsvp is the start time of the event. If you miss the start time, then message the event host directly
3. not checking in with the event host to notify them you have arrived (for walks, tours or festivals type of events)
4. Continual no-shows will result in removal from the group!