DENVER — This weekend was supposed to be the 25th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival at Denver's Sloan's Lake. Now, you'll have to wait until September.
Denver Parks & Recreation decided to close the lake to permitted events during July and August due to the recurring threat of blue-green algae, which can sicken people and animals. The festival is historically held on the 4th weekend of July. This year it will be held on September 6 and 7.
It is the largest dragon boat festival in the U.S. and draws 200,000 people each year.
Denver7's Shannon Ogden spoke with festival executive director Sara Moore, who said organizers are nervous about how the change of date will affect attendance. Moore, however, said she is optimistic.
Moore also said there is a scenario where the festival leaves Denver, its home for all 24 years.
"That is something that we definitely don't want to do. Sloan's Lake is our home, and we'd like to stay there," Moore told Ogden. "However, if the environmental challenges still are happening at Sloan's, and the Parks Department has deemed the lake inaccessible for permitted events, we will have to look at moving the event outside of Denver, most likely. Again, we don't want to do that, but it might be a reality."
The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival bills itself as the premier Asian American, native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander cultural celebration in the Rocky Mountain region. It features more than 40 dragon boat teams racing across Sloan's Lake. There are also 100+ vendors and 35+ food vendors.
Denver7 is a proud sponsor of the free, two-day event.
