As summer winds down, we’re finding ourselves wanting to take advantage of every weekend. Fortunately, many cities and towns across the U.S. feature free festivals and events each weekend. One such event is Hartford, CT’s upcoming Riverfront Dragon Boat and Asian Festival.
The festival is scheduled for next weekend, August 15-16th, and will feature dragon boat races on the Connecticut River. Dragon boats are essentially very long and narrow boats, similar to canoes, which seat 20 – 22 people. The sport of dragon boat racing originated in China, so it’s fitting that the race is paired with an Asian festival.
Over the weekend, Hartford will be alive with a wide variety of free activities and events reflecting the culture and cuisine of many different Asian countries. Some of the planned activities include a Japanese drumming exhibit, martial arts demonstrations, different ethnic dances (including Indian, Hawaiian, and Chinese), and several activities just for the kids, including painting your own chopsticks and creating Dragon Masks.
The festival will also feature a tempting array of food from each of the above countries, as well as many others. Whether you’re in the mood for Thai, Vietnamese, or Taiwanese cuisine, you can certainly find what you’re looking for and much more! If you’re enjoying the Asian atmosphere but are craving a good old Italian sausage sandwich or some kettle corn, the festival will feature traditional carnival/boardwalk vendors as well. For a full list of events and participants, check out their online schedule.
If you’re located in the northeastern U.S., Hartford is easy to visit for a weekend. It’s only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from northern NJ, and if you’ve got some frequent flier miles to redeem, you can fly into Newark, NJ and pick up a rental car nearby for a quick two- or three-day trip up to Connecticut. So why not plan a quick weekend getaway and check out Hartford’s Riverfront Dragon Boat and Asian Festival next weekend?