What to Know
- Saturday, March 5 at Burton Chace Park
- 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (the opening ceremony is at 10:30)
- Live music performances and food trucks will fill out the alfresco event
Burton Chace Park, beyond having one of Southern California's most sublime settings (if you adore ocean air, zazzy sunsets, and a bustling harbor scene), is also known for putting on a bit of a show.
You may have visited during a past holiday happening, craft fair, or events like the ethereal engagement of "Sunset Vestige," the streamer-spectacular artwork that fluttered above the water-close park back in 2018.
It is, in short, a picturesque place that embraces beauty, offers plentiful recreational opportunities, and lots of good times to be had during a sunny day out.
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And starting on the first Saturday of March 2022?
It will also be a spot to come cheer on traditional dragon boat races.
For Marina del Rey is about to hold its first-ever Dragon Boat Festival, a stirring showdown that will find several teams gliding around the nearby water in the famously vibrant vessels.
Those vessels also host on-boat drummers, talented performers who add drama, tempo, and stirring percussive support to the hard-working crews helming the oars.
Dragon boats can trace their stories back thousands of years, in China, where the handsome, aquatically sound artworks take on the appearances of dragons, complete with side "scales" and those all-important, beautifully decorated heads.
In addition to the on-the-water competitions, visitors to the free event will find food trucks. And live music? That, too, will be part of the day out.
Some 40 teams are expected to take to the waters of Marina del Rey, with some multi-generational families competing.
The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau, Marina del Rey Lessees Association, Caruso, ProSUP Shop, Wahoo's, and Team DPW are all behind this morning-to-afternoon event, which will include an awards ceremony.
