St. Jakob in Defereggen hosts the world’s highest-lying Dragon Boat Race, a non-competitive, fun event that is bringing an exciting Chinese tradition to East Tirol each summer.
This fun event has been held each of the last twelve years in St. Jakob in Defereggen, East Tirol at Obersee Lake, which offers an absolutely beautiful mountain background for all of the colourful activities. The multicoloured boats are decorated with ferocious-looking dragon heads, scaly bodies and elaborate tails that rise out of the water. Inside there are crews of paddlers who beat the drums and clap the hands and accompany the spectacle with their battle cries. During the 12th Dragon Boat Race, the teams are paddling in sleek, colourful dragon boats. The event is kicked-off Friday, July 03, 2020 at the Zollwirt festivity area in Maria Hilf with DJ and live acts. Saturday morning sees the qualification runs, the finals are scheduled for the afternoon. And after the prize-giving, it’s all about partying from 6:00pm onwards.
The mixed teams compete over a 250-meter course in an energetic race to the finish line. All crews require a minimum of 16 paddlers, and maximum 20 paddlers (plus one drummer); all crews must have at least six female paddlers. Steers are listed by the organizer; crews who wish to list their own steer must contact the organization committee beforehand.
