Vancouver's biggest dragon boat festival is adding something unlike the human-powered boats the event is famous for.
Unmanned aerial vehicles programed to fly around with lights on them.
The 2024 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival will include the first public drone show next month as part of the festivities; it should be noted that while it's the first official public drone show, there has been at least one private show that was visible to the public because the drones were flying over False Creek near Science World.
This will be similar.
"The skies above False Creek come alive with Vancouver’s first public drone show in a celebration of local culture and music," reads a press release.
"Celebrating the first weekend of summer, the family-friendly show will begin as the sun sets over the Vancouver skyline, and can be viewed from around the North East False Creek basin and screens throughout the site."
The show will mark the middle of the two day festival which runs June 22 and 23. The drones are scheduled for 9:30 p.m.-ish on the Saturday.
Overall, this years festival will be "bigger and better than ever" according to its own social media posts.
Along with two days of dragon boat races in the eastern end of False Creek, there will be live entertainment (admission for free) in Creekside Park with headlining acts Hey Ocean! (on Saturday, June 22) and Manila Grey (on Sunday, June 23).
On both days the stage will host a mix of cultural performances including Chinese dancers, Indigenous dancers, local bands and a drag show. There's also three pavilions planned, one representing Chinatown, on representing local Indigenous communities and one in partnership with the Vancouver Pride Society.
There'll also be family activities including a children's colouring contest, a bike tune-up service for those cycling in, and a display of one of the original teak boats used during Expo 86; that event helped launch dragon boat races in Canada.
