Gable Events and Warner Leisure Hotels have joined in the Chinese New Year celebrations this week with the launch of the 12th East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival!

This popular annual event returns to Oulton Broad in Lowestoft on Saturday 11th August and up to 40 crews are expected to battle it out in 30’ brightly painted Chinese dragon boats over the 200m race course, watched by a large audience of spectators. 

An ancient Chinese history

Dragon boat racing has an ancient Chinese history, dating back 2,000 years to the Kingdom of Chu, where local fishermen used their paddles to stave off vicious fish in a valiant attempt to save drowning warrior poet Qu Yuan. Their efforts failed and in Hong Kong a Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng) is held annually as a re-enactment of this tragic event.

Year of the Dog

According to the Chinese calendar, 2018 is the Year of the Dog and people born in this year are believed to inherit some of the animal’s characteristics, possessing the best traits in human nature such as honesty, loyalty, patience, reliability and intelligence. Their industrious nature, faithfulness and strong bond to others augurs well for the teamwork needed to be successful in dragon boat racing!

Team building and fun for all

This spectacular team event takes place at Oulton Broad, Lowestoft on Saturday 11^th August (the Festival has moved from its traditional May date) and is open to everyone. Each crew comprises up to 10 paddlers, a beating drummer at the front of the boat and a steering helm (provided by organisers, Gable Events) at the tail end. The dragon boats and all racing equipment are provided, each team receives three races and no previous experience is required, just plenty of team spirit! The Festival promises a fantastic day for competitors and spectators alike, with catering and bankside entertainment for all the family between races.

A great fundraising opportunity

The Dragon Boat Festival offers an excellent opportunity to raise money for good causes and at this year’s event, teams are encouraged to raise sponsorship for the charity of their own choosing. Crews opting for the popular gold and silver entry packages, which include a charity donation as well as marketing benefits, can also nominate their favourite charity to benefit from their donation.

Festival sponsor

The 2018 East Anglian Dragon Boat Festival has the backing of new title sponsor, Warner Leisure Hotels which offers holidays for adults in 13 country and coastal properties around the UK. Their two Suffolk properties, Gunton Hall and Corton Coastal Village, have been entering teams into the Dragon Boat Festival for several years and are looking forward to renewing their rivalry on 11^th August!

Ian Gyte, Warner Leisure Hotels Operations Director, comments, “The Warner team are excited about representing our two East Anglia hotels, Gunton Hall and Corton Coastal Village, whilst raising vital funds for our partner charity Macmillan Cancer Support. Our guests are brilliant and are always keen on supporting and getting involved in fundraising challenges. It will be a great challenge for everyone involved and we are thrilled to have two Warner teams entered and be the event sponsor”.

How to join in

For further information and an entry form please visit www.dragonboatfestivals.co.uk/eastanglia or call Gable Events on 01780 470 718. For information about Warner Leisure Hotels, visit www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk or call 01442 863245.

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