Vancouver's largest cake cut happens this weekend at Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

A big anniversary calls for a huge cake, and you can get a slice of the tasty treat this weekend in Vancouver.

Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at Concord Pacific Place, Creekside Park, and False Creek.

The continent’s flagship dragon boat festival is hosting a 10,000-person anniversary cake cut on Saturday, June 24 at 1 pm, and organizers say that it will be “the largest cake the community has heard of.”

 

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“Vancouverites have truly made this festival the Canadian hallmark for inclusiveness and multiculturalism,” said Terry Hui, president and CEO of Concord Pacific Developments Inc. “We are so excited to have been here along side for 35 years and invite everyone to celebrate paddling and this anniversary with us on Saturday afternoon.”

The cake is being produced by The Boss Bakery in Chinatown, which was selected by Concord Pacific as its way to continue supporting local small businesses.

The Boss Bakery/Facebook

Attendees can witness the huge anniversary cake-cutting ceremony in front of Concord’s Presentation Centre at 1 pm and then get a slice to enjoy during the festivities.

Over 100,000 visitors and racers are expected to attend the city’s biggest Dragon Boat celebration. The two-day event will include the international dragon boat races and an expanded range of programming and free concerts throughout the day.

Concord Pacific will also be seeking youth perspectives on the future of dragon boating and False Creek through an art competition held during this weekend’s event. Drawing the Future is open to children aged 6-8 and 9-12, and can be found beside the Concord Pacific Presentation Centre.

Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival/Submitted

There are 30-minute spots on Saturday and Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm to be booked online, with cash prizes for the winner. The judges for Drawing the Future are Canadian public art consultant and lead curator of Concord’s public art portfolio, Karen Mills and Harold Munro, and two Musqueam youth judges, Cadence Innes and Pearl James from the Celtic Sunset canoe team.

“Concord Pacific’s public art program is the largest private one in Canada,” said Mills in a statement. “I have been curating most of Concord’s public art portfolio for over 24 years and also run their mentorship program. I am ecstatic to see the future through the lens of children and the perspectives they will bring.”

Almost 200 teams represented by 5,000 racers will be in attendance at this year’s event. There will be free TD Main Stage concerts, a Chinatown Pavilion, presented in partnership with the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and an Indigenous Pavilion where visitors and guests are invited to honour and respect territorial protocols of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival/Facebook

Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival 2023

When: June 24 to 25, 2023
Time: Various times
Where: Concord Pacific Place, Creekside Park, and False Creek, Vancouver
Admission: Free