BRCC celebrates the Lunar Year of the Rabbit

See an Authentic Lion Dance
Paddle a Dragon Boat (all ages)
Watch a Cooking Demonstration
Hear Traditional Lunar New Year Music
Practice Chinese Paper Crafts and Coloring
Learn about Chinese Maritime History and Technology

Tentative schedule:

  • 10am opening ceremony with DragonMax Lion Dance group
  • 10:00-11:00am dumpling demonstration
  • 10:30-2pm dragon boat rides
  • 10:30-2pm paper crafts
  • 10:30-2pm Chinese maritime history
  • 10:30-2pm Chinese traditions short videos
  • 12pm-2pm Chinese music and singing

Snacks will be provided
Please park at “O” dock and Skates as well as along the shoreline past Skates. If you park at “M” dock you will likely be ticketed.

The Lunar New Year festivities begin with a traditional Lion Dance, in which the lion awakens the dragon (and the rabbit) for the new year, the Year of the Rabbit. The show starts at 10:00 AM on the front lawn of Berkeley Yacht Club. Observe the skill of the dancers – especially the person in back. This is followed by ongoing demonstrations of traditional holiday cooking, music and song, and poster exhibits about ancient Chinese maritime commerce and technology.

But the star of the event is the dragon boat. The Berkeley Racing Canoe Center offers a rare opportunity for people of all ages to experience the speed, power and teamwork of a full-size dragon boat in action. The boats are functional replicas of the craft that plied China’s 27,000 miles of navigable rivers for thousands of years; This is how people traveled when speed and comfort were the priorities. The dragon boat, or very similar craft in other regions of the world with great rivers, has been described as “the 747 of ancient civilizations.”

BRCC will fit you for a PFD (personal flotation device), put a paddle in your hands, and help you into one of our dragon boats. We will show you and your friends or family how to propel the boat around the Berkeley Marina – it’s all about teamwork and timing. There is no lower age limit, as long as we can find (or if you bring) a lifejacket that fits the small ones.

The boats will depart from the Berkeley Yacht Club guest dock, immediately to the left after you go down the O-Dock gangway. Consider that there may be a small amount of water splashing aboard, if we are all paddling hard, don’t wear anything that would be damaged by a little salt spray.

You can also try out for the DragonMax team! Dragon boat racing is the ultimate team sport: There are no heroes and no bums; The entire team wins or loses. More info at www.dragonmax.org

Arrive at Berkeley Yacht Club between 10am and 2pm
One Seawall Drive, Berkeley Marina

Sponsored by the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, Berkeley Yacht Club, and the Berkeley Racing Canoe Center.