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Dragon Boat Festival makes lakefront splash
The Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival returned to Lakeshore State Park, bringing the traditional sport and Chinese culture to the city of festivals Saturday.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival returned to Lakeshore State Park, bringing the traditional sport and Chinese culture to the city of festivals Saturday, Aug. 12.
Forty-eight teams made a splash.
"What I really like about this event is our traditions with the friendly competition and fun," said Susa Siy.
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As a member of the Organization for Chinese American Board (OCA), Siy has attended the festival since it started in 2014.
"It has people from all walks of life come down here," said Siy. "You have professional teams, and you have people who just get on the boat for the first time."
2023 Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival
The festival showcases traditional dance, Chinese folk music and Asian cuisine.
"It feels really cool, and my culture being shown here feels really amazing," said Zoe Li, captain of YLA Phoenix.
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The sport takes a team of 21 people, and every single person plays a big part.
"When we were all out there. Everybody was having a fun time or all in sync," said Devin Zeng, president of the Youth Leadership Academy. "Just having a good day and enjoying the nice weather out here."
"We just see a lot of teams practicing on land, doing warm-ups together and doing team huddles together, and they do a lot of prepping before they go in the water," said Li.
2023 Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival
Siy thinks Milwaukee is the perfect backdrop for the festival.
"I love the event in Taipei, and I went down to see their competition. I’m a bit biased, but I think we do have them beat," said Siy. "We have such a beautiful venue here. We have them beat."
The festival's hands-on opportunities include traditional games, a dragon parade, and even learning to speak and write Chinese.
Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival on FOX6 WakeUp
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Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival at Lakeshore
The Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival is here, and it's the perfect festival to showcase a variety of Chinese culture and traditions on Saturday
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Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival: Team initiative
Find out more about the race before the boats take off.
Find more information on the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival website.