Colorado Dragon Boat Festival
July 26 & 27, 2008
Sloan’s Lake Park - Denver, Colorado
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The Phenomena of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival
Few events in Colorado combine as many elements as the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. It is a sports competition with 54 corporate and community teams comprised of some 1,350 competitors plus 95,000+ spectators. It is an ethnic celebration of Colorado’s rich Pan Asian American heritage. It is a cultural showcase of diverse Asian cuisine and performing artists. It is a marketplace of unique and hard-to-find arts, crafts and vendors that are more likely to be found in the markets of Hong Kong, Tokyo or Manila.
In their designation of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival as the “Top Annual Festival” in Denver, the Rocky Mountain News lauded the festival as a “mixture of culture and competition.”
In just six years, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has grown from 15,000 to 80,000 attendees comprised of a diverse and desirable audience. (See Audience Profile Attachment) And there is little wonder why. The May 26, 2006 issue of Time magazine, reported on the growing phenomena of the growth, expansion and excitement of the 2,000-year-old Chinese sport. “Last year…more than 75 dragon-boat festivals were held in 70 cities across the country, with participation up 20% over 2004, to 54,000 people,” Time reported.
Further, the success of Denver’s festival caught the attention an International Organizing body which has tapped the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival to host the annual international competition in the summer of 2008.
A Harmonious Yin/Yang
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival creates a harmonious yin/yang for its spectators as well as its sponsors:
- Two-day festival held in central Denver on Sloan’s Lake
- Denver’s premier Asian event projected to grow to more than 100,000 people in 2008 including a significant segment of the region’s Asian-Pacific American population with huge crossover appeal to the general population
- The dragon boat races themselves pit 54 corporate and community teams of 24 people in a fun yet competitive event that builds esprit de corps and encourages an active lifestyle
- With nearly 30 traditional and contemporary Asian performing artists, 100 vendors and food concessionaires, the Festival provides attendees with a unique cultural experience.
- Special interactive features including “Dragonland” children’s area and the “Gateway to Asia” demonstration stage provide hands-on experiences for audiences of all ages
- High level participation by Asian community leaders, corporate sponsors, corporate boat teams and VIP hospitality area create “unbuyable” hospitality opportunities
- Strong media partnerships with The Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News plus area television and radio stations assure excellent promotion for the event and its sponsors
Festival Audience Profile
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival conducts spectator surveys each year since the inception of the Festival. Attendees are between 25 – 54 years of age: college educated; with a household income of $75,000+. Nearly half the attendees are people of color with nearly one in four of Asian ethnicity.
Ethnicity: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival attendees represent diverse ethnic groups. Not surprisingly, the event attracts a larger segment of the Asian population than any other regional event. But it is also a crossover event as 56% are Caucasian; 22% are Asian; 12% are Hispanic; 3% are Native American; 2% are African American and 4% are from other ethnic groups.
Gender: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival’s event audience is equally divided between men and women, comprised of 51% female and 49% male attendees.
Marital Status: Attendees are evenly split between those who are married (47%) and those who are single (45%).
Age: The age of the festival attendee principally falls into the ever important 18-44 demographic. The breakdown is as follows: 12% are between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% are between 25 and 34; 23% are 35 to 44; 24% are 45 – 54; 12% are 55 – 64; and 6% are 65 years of age and older.
Education: CDBF attendees are well educated. 11% have achieved high school degrees or GED only; 26% have had some college; 34% have attained Bachelors Degrees only and an astounding 28% have earned a Post Graduate degree.
Income: Spectators of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival represent the region’s higher income levels as compared to the general population. 16% earn under $25,000; 26% earn $26,000 to $50,000; 20% have household incomes of $51,000 to $75,000; 17% $75,000 to $100,000; 13% earn $101,000 to $150,000; and 9% earn $150,000 or greater.
