5th Annual Dragon Boat Festival on Flathead Lake

Get ready to harness you inner viking as well as your need for speed. The fifth-annual Montana Dragon Boat Festival is happening September 9-11 on Flathead Lake in Lakeside, just 10 miles south of Kalispell. This location, also the site of the 2015 festival, accommodates growing crowds and takes advantage of favorable wave and wind conditions on the water. Volunteer Park, a Flathead County Park, offers 190 feet of unobstructed Flathead Lake shoreline with spectacular views of the Mission and Flathead mountains. The festival grounds spreads along Lakeside Boulevard accommodating vendors, teams and additional activities, and several designated parking lots adjacent to the festival grounds offer walkable access to the event for paddlers and spectators. The shops, restaurants and other attractions in Lakeside will all be within walking distance— providing race attendees the opportunity to intimately experience one of Northwest Montana’s most charming communities.

The event kicks off with a captains briefing on Friday, September 9th in the evening. Races begin at 8:30am Saturday with excitement extending through the day. After the races conclude on Saturday head into Kalispell to The Montana Dragon Bash Paddlers Party, a dinner and concert with music at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.montanadragonboat.com. The action will resume Sunday at 9:00am with qualifying rounds and championship races. The day will finish with an awards ceremony.