Drum up some fun at the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival! On Saturday August 10th, the colorful dragon boats will return to Lakeshore State Park. This vibrant celebration of culture and tradition promises an exciting day of dragon boat racing, cultural performances and family-friendly fun.  

The festival is organized by the Milwaukee Chinese Community Center (MCCC), an incredible nonprofit dedicated to promoting Chinese language education, culture outreach and social engagement. 

Check out the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival and plan your weekend in the City of Festivals today! 

Kathryn Lavey of VISIT Milwaukee recently sat down with Olivia Wang, Director of Public Relations of the MCCC, who gave the inside scoop on this fascinating tradition and shared what makes it such a unique and beloved event.  Read the interview below.

How has Dragon Boat Racing evolved over the years? 

It was originally celebrated in China only, but there have been so many changes around the world. The sport gained international attention in the 20th century, particularly after the first Hong Kong international dragon boat races in 1976. This helped to promote the sport globally.  

When did Milwaukee’s Dragon Boat Festival get started, and how and what inspired the tradition along Lake Michigan? 

Back in 2011, the first Chinese cultural festival organized by MCCC, which is in Milwaukee Chinese Community Center, featured a dragon boat demonstration. And then in 2013, the Chinese Cultural Festival transformed into the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival. This year, 2024, should be the 10th festival because we skipped two years for the pandemic, 2020 and 2021. I think the event is a decade old this year. 

Do you have any special plans to commemorate the ten years? 

We want to do some charity work for Milwaukee. We connected to United Way and decided to donate half of our proceeds. This year, we’re going to have a cashing check ceremony.  

For anyone unfamiliar with dragon boat racing, how is the sport similar to and different from other rowing competitions? 

At the very beginning, I was confused too. They share so many similarities. They both like the teamwork thing. Both sports require synchronized efforts from the team members and people that physically can do it. It requires strength and power, and you must not fear the water, at least. The racing goal is to reach the finish line first, so those two look very similar.  

But there are also some differences between the two. The dragon boat is a long and decorative boat with dragon heads and single bladed paddles, and it includes a drummer to keep rhythm and a steersperson, but rowing doesn’t have those. The rowing boat is sleek and lightweight. The rowers of a rowing boat are backward, which is different from a dragon boat. The rowing boat has long roars and people paddle from both sides, but in dragon boat, people only paddle from one side.   

As I mentioned earlier, dragon boat racing is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world. There are over 50 teams participating in this year’s festivities at the Dragon boat racing or at the Dragon Boat Festival in Milwaukee. You mentioned it’s the ten-year anniversary, how have you seen it grow in Milwaukee over the years? 

Back in 2011, I don’t think there were any dragon boat festivals in Milwaukee because we were the first ones here. After that, we started with only like 4 or 5 teams paddling at the very beginning. But now, as of today, we have 52 teams registered for this year. And, we still have a waiting list because we are all volunteers. 

With such a strong growth of the sport, and with the Olympics around the corner, Dragon boat racing will be represented at the Olympics in the form of a demonstration sport. What would you describe is drawing people to the sport? And can we call it an Olympic hopeful? 

To be honest, I don’t know. I mean, with the increased global attention, participation, media coverage and a lot of interest in this sport, it’s possible. Again, this sport is backed up with a deep culture. So, if the culture can be accepted and understood globally, then the Olympics can be a helpful thing.

And what do you suppose is drawing people to the sport? 

I think it’s teamwork. Nowadays it’s very important to show the teamwork spirit, and how you can work with different people and cooperate with the people around you. I think that is a very attractive point of this sport. And also, it’s fun. It’s so fun. I mean, 20 people are paddling together on the water. It’s so cool to do something like this. Also, it requires your strength and power, and you need to communicate with your team members and especially with the drummers. It’s fun to do and it shows a healthy lifestyle. That’s something that can be attractive for people to come. 

What is the typical range of experience required to participate in dragon boat racing? You mentioned the power and effort needed to participate, but do you need to be a paddle sports expert or are beginners also welcome? 

No, you don’t have to be a professional. For the Dragon Boat Festival in Milwaukee, we are open to all age groups.  

Anyone, as long as you want to try water sports and you want to have some fun, you’re welcome to join in and register with some of the teams. But if you want to do a serious competition with professional teams, you may want to get fully equipped with your muscle. 

What’s the secret to success for teams that win? Are there any inside tips and tricks that we can give our readers to help teams stay afloat? 

Perfect synchronization is very, very important in this sport. All the paddlers of each side need to paddle at the same time to maximize power and efficiency. They need to do the same thing at the same time. This is very crucial for this game. A good drummer and steersperson are essential for maintaining the rhythm and direction. The steersperson is the person who is in charge of the direction, and you don’t want to hit other people’s boats. Also, clear communication among the team members helps to ensure everyone is in sync and can respond quickly to changes. 

Let’s talk a little bit about the day’s festivities. What can visitors and locals looking to get involved in the Dragon Boat Festival expect? And then, beyond the races, can you share a little bit about or a little bit of information about the cultural performances and vendors that will add to the day’s festivities as well? 

The day of the event, we’re going to have a beer garden and a Chinese barbecue. And we have vendors for food and some market fairs for the culture. I think we have a Chinese dance, the singing and monk dance because we invited some other AAPI communities to come join us for the festival. We also have a kid’s area, it’s a bouncing house kind of thing that kids can jump around on. 

And like I said earlier, there’s so much going on around downtown that weekend. It will be a great thing for people that are already downtown to just stop in and be able to see the dragon boat races. Admission is free. So, if people are driving past the highway and they can see the dragon boat races there, or they are just walking around the lake, and they can see people are there having fun on the water. 

You mentioned earlier in the interview the day’s festivities kick off with the dotting the eye of the Dragon opening ceremony. Can you talk about the significance of this ceremony? 

The Dotting the Eye of the Dragon ceremony is a significant tradition marking the start of the Dragon Boat festival, no matter in what country. The eyes of the dragon boat are painted with red ink to awaken the dragon spirit and invoke good fortune and protection for the crew. It’s rooted in the ancient Chinese belief that the ceremony honors the dragon as a powerful and prosperous symbol. Setting a festival at a culturally rich town for the day, engaging the spectators in the celebration. Well, it’s just like making people high. 

This event takes place at Lake Shore State Park, which is such a great backdrop for the event. Can you talk about the park’s atmosphere during this event and what it provides for it too?  

The atmosphere will be full of life, joy and sports. The park’s beautiful lake views make a perfect backdrop for the action. People will see the colorful dragon boats lining the water, and there will be a buzz of excitement as teams are getting ready to race. The air will be lively with the music, food and cultural performances. And it’s going to be like a fun and festival vibe for everyone there. I think there will be a lot of energy and people will enjoy the celebration. 

If a visitor were to come up to you and say, “I’m in town, I’m planning a day around the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival.” Outside of the festival itself, where would you send them?  

Milwaukee Public Market. They have to start the morning with breakfast or a coffee at Milwaukee Public Market, which is a great way to open a day. Then, Lakeshore State Park. And after the event, they can go to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which is very close to Lakeshore State Park. They have a very impressive exhibit and the architecture of the building itself is amazing. They can also have Harbor House for dinner, which is a fun place for dining. You can view Lake Michigan while you eat. That would pretty much be my plan for that day. 

It started in 2018 with a group of citizens concerned about plastic pollution. Today, Plastic Free MKE (PFM) is a nationally recognized coalition that is working to make Milwaukee and its neighborhoods plastic free. Suffice to say, that’s an enormous task!

From the beginning, Plastic Free MKE found great partners in the Urban Ecology Center, and with Milwaukee Riverkeepers; the latter is now a partner and driving force with funding and staff. Together they have been able to grow their influence and make an impact in reducing single plastic usage in Milwaukee. One big way has been through Plastic Free’s water jug initiative.

The problem with plastics is they don’t break down, instead they break up and end up living in our environment. Plastic throw-away water bottles are a huge contributor to the problem. Seeing how water bottles were being used during the protests and marches in the summer of 2020, Plastic Free MKE took action. Using five-gallon jugs and volunteers on bikes, they offered free water so people could refill their plastic bottles instead of tossing them away. Since then, PFM has provided free water refilling stations (upon request) to events throughout the city. When funding allows, they also give out free reusable water bottles. Their efforts have paid off: the coalition estimates they have prevented 6500 single use bottles in just four years.

 “It’s important to see how plastic affects our environment,” says Gabrielle de Gail, the Sustainability Coordinator with Plastic Free MKE.  “It affects our waters, and it affects our health. It all ties together—it’s affecting wildlife, it’s polluting our lake.”  22 million pounds of plastic enters the Great Lakes yearly, 50% of it in Lake Michigan. Our rivers are also affected: 85% of fish pulled from the Milwaukee River have plastics in their digestive tract.  We also see the problem firsthand at Lakeshore State Park where trash bins at park entrances are filled with single use bottles, straws and containers, and litter dots the landscape, ready to be picked up by the birds and wildlife that frequent the park.

Awareness, hopefully, brings action and to help with both, Plastic Free MKE developed its Lake Friendly Programto work with businesses and neighborhoods, such as the Historic Sherman Park on Milwaukee’s northwest side, to embrace plastic free. The program ties in beautifully with the City of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office which aims to make Milwaukee a world class eco-city.

Progress is being made. The City of Milwaukee now has a law that prevents restaurants, bars and cafes from automatically giving plastic straws to customers. It’s only upon request. And there is a Styrofoam ban for vendors doing business on county property. Now, Plastic Free MKE would love to see Milwaukee contract with a reusable food-ware company to provide reusable cups and containers for entertainment venues, festivals and events. Or better yet, to develop its own system.

“If you try to focus on all plastics,” explains de Gail, “it’s impossible. So, our focusing on single-use plastics is really key. And that’s where you see the pollution.”

Check out Plastic Free MKE’s website for additional information, including public webinars and education toolkits, and to see how you can join in the cause.

We Have More Prairie Plants!

Over a few days in May, DNR staff and dozens of volunteers planted more than 1,200 native plant plugs in the park prairies. Recent soaking rains have helped these plants root into the hard soil – come to the park to see beautiful blooms as the plants mature! Many thanks to Friends of Lakeshore State Park volunteers and donors for their generosity – the prairies would not be the same without you! 

Photos with DNR and Prairie Pal volunteers from the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee. The Prairie Pals were recently awarded the Wisconsin Civic Achievement Award given by the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation – congratulations Prairie Pals!

Volunteers are very welcome to help in the prairies June 11th and 25th 10AM-12PM, and alternate Tuesdays through October

Upcoming Events

All events meet at park north entrance near Discovery World, unless otherwise indicated

Jun 1: Free Fishing Weekend Fishing Clinic, 1:00-3:00PM
Jun 4: Wildflowers on the Water happy hour kickoff, 4:00-6:00PM Wantable Cafe, 123 E Walker St.
Jun 7: Bike Week Commuter Station, 7:30-10:00AM in front of Discovery World
Jun 15: Prairie Hike, 10:00-11:00AM.
Jun 16: Father’s Day Fishing, 2:00-3:30PM Meet at the fishing pier
Jun 18: Summer Solstice Hike, 7:00-8:00PM
Jun 19: Bubble Hike, 5:00-6:00PM
Jun 19: Beach Bonfire, 6:00-8:30PM Meet at Pebble Beach
Jun 22: Invasive Species Awareness Day, 9:00AM-12:00PM Meet at the fishing pier
Jun 27: Pride Month Hike, 6:00-7:00PM

Event details are available here: FLSP Events Page
Contact: Elaine Zautke (Park Manager) elaine.zautke@wisconsin.gov   414-274-4281

Save the Dates

Jul 7: Brunch By the Beach with Food Trucks and Music 10:00AM-2:00PM
Jul 24 : Bonfire with Smores 6:00-8:30PM
Aug 21: Bonfire with Smores, Lakefront Beer and Food Truck 6:00-8:30PM 
Sep 7: Wildflowers on the Water – Music, Food and Art  3:00-7:00PM
Sep 18: Bonfire with Smores 5:30-730PM

Our park educators offer a wide variety of programs for both kids and adults, such as fishing clinics (no license required for children 15 and under) and events that focus on nature education and exploration, all designed to be hands-on and family-friendly.