Overview:
Sara Moore, executive director of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, discusses the event's uncertain future at Sloan's Lake.
Each summer, roughly 200,000 Coloradans gather on Sloan’s Lake for the legendary Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. With over 40 teams racing on the lake, as well as performers and food trucks, this festival is a staple of the local community.
“The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is the largest Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) celebration in the Rocky Mountain region,” said executive director Sara Moore. “It’s a free admission, two-day cultural festival that brings the community together through exciting dragon boat races on Sloan’s Lake, incredible performances, delicious food, a vibrant marketplace and opportunities to celebrate and learn about AANHPI heritage. It’s more than just an event—it’s a space for culture, connection and community.”
Traditionally, the event is hosted at the end of July; however, this year, the festival had to move from its regular slot to September due to environmental concerns threatening Sloan’s Lake. According to Moore, the water quality and levels of Sloan’s Lake in recent years have caused the City of Denver to limit the usage of this area for public events. Because the Dragon Boat Festival is the only event to use the lake itself, they are the most affected by the city’s new rules.
“If the water quality continues to deteriorate and Parks and Recreation ultimately decides that our festival can no longer take place there, it threatens not only our location but also the future of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival itself,” Moore said. “Our organization is exploring all possibilities, but the uncertainty around Sloan’s Lake is one of the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced.”
Increasingly, the Parks and Recreation department has expressed concerns about the water quality of Sloan’s Lake, citing issues such as dead fish, blue algae blooms and inadequate filtration due to untreated runoff. Organizers say they are exploring all options to ensure that the festival continues.
“Right now, our hope is still to keep the festival in Denver, at Sloan’s Lake, which has been our traditional home since the beginning,” Moore said. “This lake isn’t just a body of water for us—it holds cultural significance and is where our community has gathered for 25 years. That said, if the city ultimately decides that dragon boating cannot continue there, we will need to consider alternatives. That could mean looking at other lakes or even exploring opportunities outside of Denver, though that is not our first choice.”
Moore adds that “the challenge we face if we have to leave Sloan’s Lake is that there are very few—if any—other lakes within the City and County of Denver that are large enough to host our event or would even be allowable for us to use under a Parks and Recreation permit. No matter what happens, our priority is protecting the spirit of the festival and ensuring that it continues to serve the AANHPI and BIPOC communities while bringing people together in celebration.”
When Denver’s Dragon Boat Festival first started in 2001, the founders expected about 5,0000 people to show up. However, that year, more than 16,000 people came to join the fun, and since then, the festival has only grown.
To Moore, the heart of this festival is the sense of community it brings for AANHPI people and its ability to uplift underrepresented voices.
“It’s become such an important part of the fabric of Denver and Colorado, and seeing the joy and belonging it creates for people is what inspires me every day,” Moore said. “For me, it represents pride in the AANHPI community, a place where stories are shared, traditions are honored and families come together year after year.”
Though the alarm has been raised about the area’s future, hope is not lost for Sloan’s Lake. There is currently a $40 million proposal to clean and dredge the lake, which would reduce sediment in the lake. In July, this was updated to a $5 million bond. Although the public will not know if this goes through until November of this year, there is hope that increased awareness of Sloan’s Lake’s health will help revitalize it before it is too late.
“While we deeply value the history and cultural roots we have there (Sloan’s Lake), we are also exploring all possibilities to ensure the festival’s sustainability and future—whether that means finding ways to remain at Sloan’s Lake or looking at other locations that can carry the spirit and scale of the event forward,” Moore said.
Despite these environmental threats, the Dragon Boat Festival will take place as usual this weekend, September 6 and 7. Though its future at Sloan’s Lake is uncertain, Moore and her team are determined to keep the heritage festival alive for years to come.
“This event is more than a festival—it’s a tradition for many families and a cornerstone in our community,” Moore said. “No matter what, our commitment remains the same: to uplift and celebrate the AANHPI community, support other marginalized and underrepresented communities, and keep this tradition alive for the hundreds of thousands of families who call it part of their summer.”
