Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival in Irving a success

by Srinidhi RV Lakhanigam

The colorful and well organized Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival took place Sunday on the banks of Lake Carolyn in Irving. This annual festival was initiated last year as part of the Asia Pacific Heritage Month celebrations. The month of May is celebrated as the Asia Pacific Heritage Month and in its observance there are numerous cultural and social activities taking place across the U.S.

With Dallas being one of the locations where loads of Asians live, multiple festivals have been organized during this month. The festival was held in a vast open space sited on the banks of Lake Carolyn, close to the historic Mustangs of Las Colinas. I really wanted to participate in the Dragon Boat Race and tried to put together a team, but I was not successful and had to content myself to just visiting and enjoying the performances and views of the festival.

Like the Asian Festival of Dallas, the Dragon Boat Festival too featured numerous food stalls, entertainment shows, kite flying, lantern dances, booths selling Asian handicrafts, clothes, jewelery and many others. The sunny weather, bordering on hot and sultry, helped keep the spirits high. The highlight of the festival, however, was the Dragon Boat Races, which sadly I missed.

Cultural performances included Chinese Lion Dance, an Asian fashion extravaganza titled Parade of the Nations, Indian dance, Tahitian and Hawaiian Hula Dance, Mahalika Philippine Bamboo Dance, Chinese cultural performance, Chinese Peacock Dance, Tai Chi and Kung Fu demonstrations, among others. It was an afternoon of fun and food for the entire family. But for the blazing sun, I'm sure people would have enjoyed the festival better and not confined themselves to the comforting shade of the few tents.

This article was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.