The Barrie Public Library is delighted to share that the 20th annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival hosted by the Barrie Public Library and presented by Tim Hortons is set for Saturday, August 17, 2024!
Celebrating a very special milestone, the library is proud to announce that 2024 marks 20 years of hosting this event on Barrie’s beautiful waterfront!
"This unique event has become an anchor in our community, bringing people together to support so many great causes, including the Barrie Public Library. We are grateful for the continuous participation of various groups, volunteers and the generosity of longtime supporters like our presenting sponsor, Tim Hortons,” says Chris Vanderkruys, Director of Business & Development for the Barrie Public Library.
This year, the library’s organizing committee is excited to welcome 30 teams to join at Heritage Park for a day of paddling for a cause on Kempenfelt Bay. Encouraging paddlers of all skill levels, the Dragon Boat Festival is an inclusive opportunity to take part in or observe from the shores, an exciting day of racing and family fun!
“Raising over $47,000.00 last year, we look forward to the friendly competition to see which team can raise the most funds to support their favourite charity! This is what makes our event so special, seeing the ripple effect of supporting advancing library services as well as other organizations that do so much for our community! With 2024 being the year of the Wood Dragon, our volunteers look forward to incorporating unique aspects of this into this year’s event,” adds Vanderkruys.
Team Registration opens April 1st!
Teams can take advantage of Early Bird savings from April 1 to April 30. A fun incentive for Early Bird teams, generously provided by Tim Hortons, is a contest to win “The Ultimate Tim Hortons Coffee Break” for their team. All teams who are fully registered during the Early Bird registration window will be entered into a random draw to win Tim Hortons Coffee for their entire team!*
To learn more and to register your team for this year’s event visit our website and stay tuned by following the Barrie Public Library on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.
*Please note, the total value of “The Ultimate Tim Hortons Coffee Break”, generously provided by Tim Hortons equals approximately $800.00. This value is divided amongst one team participating in the 2024 Barrie Dragon Boat Festival, a value of $30.00/paddler to a maximum of 26 paddlers. One team will be chosen at random to win this prize.