Lions and Dragons and Chefs — Oh, My!

One of the best things about the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is how it changes every year, experimenting with new ways to keep the returning crowds happy. That doesn’t mean that many of its best features — from the focal point of the dragon-boat races themselves to the exemplary ethnic-food courts, marketplace and performances — have gone anywhere: They’ll all be back, better than ever.

So what will surprise you at this year’s fest? To begin with, an even sharper focus on food. “I always say that the best way to share a culture is by sharing the food,” CDBF spokeswoman Tarika Ceftin says. “We’ll have cooking demos by local Asian chefs and a tasting component on the new Culinary Dojo stage, right in the middle of one of the food courts.” Also new? “We’ll have our first-ever Lion Dance Extravaganza on the Explore Asia stage, with six groups performing to introduce the nuances and art of lion dancing to the public. And this year’s featured nation is the Philippines,” Ceftin adds. “The exhibit area’s theme is Bayanihan, which is a Tagalog word meaning ‘working together for common good.’” And, of course, throughout it all, nearly fifty teams of twenty to 25 members will be chanting and paddling their fanciful dragon boats back and forth across Sloan’s Lake. What a spectacle!

Visit the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow at Sloan’s Lake Park, 1700 Sheridan Boulevard; admission is free. To relieve congestion in the neighborhood, parking is available for $5 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, with free shuttle service provided to and from the park. For more information, go to cdbf.org.

Sat., July 19, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., July 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 2014