KATHMANDU, Dec 23: The Gandaki Province government, Pokhara Metropolitan City, Chinese Embassy in Nepal, and Nepal Tourism Board are set to jointly organize the second edition of the Dragon Boat Festival in Pokhara next week with the aim of promoting Nepal's tourism on an international scale.
Co-organized by the Nepal Dragon Vote Association, Pokhara Tourism Council, and Pokhara Overseas Chinese Association, the second edition of the competition, to be held on December 29 and 30 on the Fewa lake, will see the participation of 20 teams, including 11 from Nepal, eight from China and one from Singapore.
Preparations Underway for Dragon Boat Race in Pokhara
In a press meet held in the capital on Sunday, the organizers announced that the first-place team in two categories–200 meters and 500 meters–will receive $5,000, the second-place team will receive $2,000, and the third-place team will receive $1,200. Similarly, the remaining 17 participating teams will also be awarded $500 per team.
Addressing the program Deputy Consul General and Political Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal Wang Xin said that the second edition of the festival will be better than the first one as the competitiveness of the race has increased and the festival will have more spectators as the annual Pokhara street festival will also be taking place during same time.
“We are organizing the festival on December 29 and 30 at the request of the Pokhara Metropolitan City,” Wang said, “The annual street festival draws a significant number of domestic and international tourists who will potentially get to experience the boat race.”
The first edition of the festival was organized in Nepal in 2023 under the leadership of the Chinese government. China has organized such competitions in 50 countries around the world. This festival celebrated by the Chinese has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity since 2009.
