An Ice Dragon Boat Festival is happening in Sylvan Lake this weekend. From February 10-12th you can watch 20 teams of local people race large ice boats.  

“They are (the dragon boats) long slender boats that are propped up on skates and they're propelled forward by paddles with spikes on the end,” explained Channelle Brooker, Culture and Tourism Supervisor for the Town of Sylvan Lake.  

The Town of Sylvan Lake is looking forward to showcasing the event to show just how fun Sylvan Lake can be in the winter. There are three different divisions of racing including women’s, mixed, and individual.  

The Awards and closing ceremony will be taking place on Saturday, February 11 from 3:45PM to 4:15PM at the Dragon Boat Club House.  

photo of dragon boat racing

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival will also be run in conjunction with the Family Skate and Sled that was postponed from it’s original date in January to Saturday, February 11.

“That's gonna be happening alongside the Dragon Boats so right at the lake. We are going to have our lake skating rinks open, our ice slide will be open... We'll have a big community bonfire going, and we'll have a limited supply of smore kits and hot dogs available,” added Brooker.  

The Family Skate and Sled will be happening from 11:00AM-3:00PM. Both events will be happening around Sylvan Lake Park.  

The festival will also kick—off the Pass-the-Poutine contest which will continue into next weekend’s Winterfest events.  

For more information on the schedule, click here.