Program of Events

Dear BCS Dragon Boaters,

Are you ready to participate in the BCS Dragon Boat Festival of a lifetime? Situated in the warm sun on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we are going to entertain you for the entire week! Get your team and country flags ready, and order those lapel pins for trading with paddlers from all over the world. Be part of this Celebration of Survivorship and Sisterhood in the Sunshine State. We are going to paint the town PINK!

Festivities will begin on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 with practice sessions beginning on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. Event headquarters will be set up at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota which is the area’s largest hotel with nearly 300 spacious guest rooms, the majority of which will be filled with Pink paddlers! We are in the process of establishing group rates at a variety of the area’s top notch hotels. Festival representatives will be available to provide assistance for your team’s accommodations. The team check-in process will include team captains or managers picking up team registration packets between Monday – Thursday (12:00pm-5:00pm) or Friday (9:00am-11:00am). Festival packets will contain paddler souvenir bags with all sorts of swag and individual paddler credentials which will be required to present for participation in official festival events, i.e. practice session(s), transportation and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Also included in the registration packet will be local maps and tourist information, such as dining guides, available tours and shopping suggestions, all of which is provided to help you enjoy your stay in the Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida areas.

Nathan Benderson Park is the race venue where much of the Festival’s activities will be held and is easily accessed from I-75 between University Parkway and Fruitville Road. This state-of-the-art venue, currently under construction, will be complete with video viewing and an audio system that will blow you away. This is not your average race venue, ladies and gentleman…wait till you see this!
Practice sessions are available upon request; for more information, please contact us at [email protected] . Information will be forthcoming regarding steering and paddling clinics which will be conducted by Pan Am Dragon Boats, our official race management company.

Take advantage of all that Sarasota has to offer by visiting the city’s great attractions like St. Armands Circle, where retail shopping and dining is some of the finest (www.starmandscircleassoc.com) or the John & Mabel Ringling Museum of Art (www.ringling.org). You won’t want to miss out on a visit to Siesta Key: The #1 beach in the USA. Average daily temperature during October is a warm 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Friday, October 24th is when the official Festival program begins. Shuttle buses will be continuously in operation for all of the official activities. Schedules and location stops will be announced later. The IBCPC Congress Meeting will convene on Friday from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Hyatt Regency. Two representatives from each team will attend this organizational meeting. A formal agenda will be announced and provided closer to the meeting date. Light breakfast will be served.

At Nathan Benderson Park between 9:00am-2:00pm, there will be a variety of ongoing activities for paddlers to enjoy including exercise programs, lymphedema seminars, fun and crazy team building workshops, and much more. Throughout the day, food vendors will be on hand and ready to deliver your favorite snack or luncheon treat. All steerspersons will report in to ensure credentials are accredited. If you are a BCS accredited steersperson and are available to steer all three days of dragon boat races, your registration fee will be reimbursed. Seminars will be repeated throughout the day, so practicing teams will not miss out on anything.

Opening Ceremony will be held at 4:00pm on Friday at the Regatta Island. All of the countries in attendance will be recognized. Guest speakers such as Dr. Don Mackenzie will kick off the Festival which will be a dynamic reminder of where we came from and where we are going. Much more is planned…you won’t want to miss it!

After the Opening Ceremony, a wine and cheese reception will be held under one of our very large tents, allowing an opportunity for all of the pink paddlers to mingle and meet their sisters from faraway exotic places. Friday evening you will be free to explore the city and enjoy all that it has to offer!

Races will begin on Saturday promptly at 8:00am. Shuttle buses will be available early to allow teams to get to their tents, complete with chairs and table(s). We encourage teams to put up banners and decorate their spaces to reflect their team’s spirit. Prizes will be awarded to teams with the most creatively decorated tents. Security will be on site overnight allowing teams to leave equipment and chairs set up. Races will include two heats - 500 meter races in up to 8 lanes which will be accommodated by this fabulous, new world class rowing venue. Lunch will be served on Saturday and Sunday.

We anticipate Saturday races to end by 3:30pm allowing time for participants to return to hotel rooms and change into their parade attire. Teams are encouraged to wear clothing reflective of their nation or region of origin. Prizes will be awarded to teams with the best costumes exhibited during the parade. Don’t forget to bring your flags and banners! Everyone will report to the staging area at Payne Park by 5:30pm to receive information for the grand parade.The parade route will commence in a highly visible area of Sarasota, where local merchants will greet us from the “pinked up” storefronts. Restaurant, bar and retail stores patrons will be waiting to see those pink bras, boas and wigs. They have no idea what a spectacle we will make! Food vendors will be available at the park before and after the parade.
The parade route will conclude with a block party upon return to Payne Park. Entertainment will include music, dancing, and much more fun to be had under the stars. This is just the beginning…all of the special touches are still being worked out. Shuttle buses will be available for transportation back to hotels, though some of you may choose to go into town and eat or drink at any number of establishments that may have caught your eye along the parade route. Last bus will leave the park site around 10:30pm, so if you choose to hang out in town, be sure to make transportation arrangements back to your hotel.

Sunday will begin the 3rd round of semi-final races at 8:00am. After the Finals, participants will head directly into The Sandy Smith Global Race (TSSGR) where a representative from each team races in the boat together (details to follow).TSSGR will be followed by a grand flower ceremony - a true celebration of Survivorship and Sisterhood.

Closing Ceremonies will immediately follow the Flower Ceremony which will allow the Host Teams and Guest Speakers to show gratitude for allowing us to host our pink paddling friends from all over the world, vowing to meet again in 2018…but where… Italy, UK, France?! Until then, join us in Sarasota and make memories of a lifetime. We are getting ready for YOU!