*Organized by Chinatown Celebration Society*
Come together with Chinatown on September 23-24, 2023 for the third annual Fire Dragon Festival! Celebrate mid-autumn with cultural activities and performances, culinary exploration, and the appreciation of intangible heritage.
When: Saturday, September 23 from 10:00am to 9:00pm & Sunday September 24 from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Where: Chinatown Memorial Plaza next to 105 Keefer, Chinese Canadian Museum at 51 East Pender, and Carrall Street between Keefer & Pender
Cost: Free!
Things to bring:
- Water to stay hydrated
- A sweater to keep warm in the evening
Site Map & Parade Route
Map of the Fire Dragon Festival 2023 Site, showing the Chinese Canadian Museum at 51 East Pender, the Chinatown Memorial Square at 105 Keefer, and the start of the parade at Carrall Street between Keefer and Pender Streets.
Event Schedule
Fire Dragon 2023 Schedule. See below for a more detailed schedule of events.
Saturday, September 23
Chinese Canadian Museum – 51 East Pender
COLOURING CONTEST | 10AM – 5PM
Colour the Fire Dragon Festival illustration, created by Paige Jung, for a chance to win a family annual pass (2 adults + 1 youth) for the Chinese Canadian Museum.
[REGISTRATION REQUIRED] LANTERN-MAKING WITH STILL MOON ARTS SOCIETY | 10AM – 5PM
Decorate a lantern to take home, and stay and show it off during the parade! Only 40 spots are available; registration is required to attend. REGISTER HERE >>>
[REGISTRATION REQUIRED] MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY JUNO-NOMINATED GINALINA | 2PM
A modern collection of Canadian-Asian folk music inspired by traditional songs from China and Taiwan, remembered and remixed by 3x Juno-nominated singer-songwriter, Ginalina, and presented in English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese. You can listen to Ginalina’s music on Spotify. Registration is required to attend. REGISTER HERE >>>
Chinatown Memorial Square – 105 Keefer
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY BAAPOOH ON ACCORDION | 10AM – 12PM
Listen in on a beautiful musical performance by Baapooh on the accordion.
CRAFTS WITH MESSY JESSY FROM LAB | 10AM – 5PM
Dragon crafts for all ages, hosted by LAB Language Arts Base Studio
CRAFT MARKET WITH LUCKY MUNYI AND FRIENDS | 10AM – 5PM
Craft market hosted by Lucky Munyi and Friends.
[REGISTRATION REQUIRED] GUIDED WATERCOLOUR PAINTING | 10AM – 5PM
Guided watercolour painting workshop with Lucky Munyi and friends. For all ages! Registration is required. REGISTER HERE >>>
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY MICHI AND HYDEN | 12PM – 1PM
Performance of Butterfly Lover concerto and other pop and classical pieces by young talents Michiyo Mizuta Yu and Hyden Ho.
LEARN TO LION DANCE | 2PM – 5PM
Learn how to Lion Dance and Kung fu demos with Chau Luen Athletics Club
Carrall Street – Between Keefer & Pender
FIRE DRAGON EYE-DOTTING CEREMONY & PARADE | 7PM – 9PM
The Eye-Dotting Ceremony presentation and speeches will begin at 7pm, parade to commence at 8pm. Carrall Street, between Pender and Keefer. See map below for parade route.
Sunday, September 24
[REGISTRATION REQUIRED] CROSS CULTURAL WALKING TOURS | 9AM – 11AM & 1PM – 3PM
Join Cross Cultural Walking Tours during the Fire Dragon Festival for a 4km walk through the Downtown Eastside, Paueru-Gai, Jewish Strathcona, Hogan’s Alley, and Chinatown. This 2-hour educational grassroots program dives into the systemic oppression, racism, displacement and impact of urban renewal experienced by many marginalized communities THEN and NOW, sharing history and stories together in one tour.
Starting location, accessibility info and further instructions will be sent out to those who register. Only registered participants will be allowed to join the walking tour. Thank you for your understanding.
Eventbrite registration is required, by donation to Yarrow Society and their grocery delivery program. REGISTER HERE >>>
COVID Safety Information
For the health and safety of all our community members (especially seniors, disabled and immunocompromised folks), we highly encourage you to wear a face mask (preferably KN95, KF94 or N95). We encourage you to exercise caution with regards to symptoms and testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
Accessibility Information
Transit: Chinatown is accessible by transit via skytrain. The closest skytrain station is Stadium-Chinatown.
Parking: The Chinatown Plaza Mall has a parkade right next to the Memorial Plaza.
Water: Please bring your own water to keep hydrated.
Bathrooms: There are gendered bathrooms at the Chinatown Plaza mall across from the Chinatown Memorial Plaza.
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