Guangzhou Dragon Boat Festival

Background

Guangzhou's dragon boat customs are steeped in village-to-village ties. Around the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, villages dig out the dragon boats that have "slept" for a year in the mud of the creeks, then clean, decorate and launch them, a rite called "raising the dragon" (qilong). From the first day of the fifth month, each village's boat takes turns visiting villages of friends and relatives, known as chengjing, while the host village that welcomes the visiting boats, known as zhaojing, treats its guests to a dragon boat feast. When the season ends, the boats are buried in the mud again for safekeeping, called "hiding the dragon". On the village creeks you can watch dragon boat races and the boats' "head-shaking, tail-wagging" displays. Liede Village is a classic viewing spot: on the Dragon Boat Festival of 2023 (June 22), Liede hosted with 468 tables of dragon boat feast for about 5000 guests.

Local customs

• Watch dragon boat races on the village creeks
• see a boat-raising ceremony
• watch the boats' "head-shaking, tail-wagging" display
• try a dragon boat feast on a hosting day if you are invited

Travel tips

• Boat raising usually takes place around the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, and visiting and hosting run from the first day of the fifth month to around the Dragon Boat Festival
• each village announces its own schedule, so keep an eye on local media. Viewing spots are spread along creeks such as Liede Creek in Tianhe District, Lizhiwan in Liwan District and Chebei Creek, with no single main venue
• the banks are narrow and crowded, so public transport is your best option. Arrangements are subject to announcements by the villages and the authorities.

2027 schedule

• In 2027 the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (boat raising) is May 13, and the first day of the fifth month to the Dragon Boat Festival runs June 5 to 9
• village schedules are pending announcement.