Travel to beautiful Hong Kong without ever leaving the city thanks to this two-day, annual event at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. Now in its 29th year, more than 200 trained teams gather at Meadow Lake to race on long boats while paddling to the beat of their boat’s drummer. On land, you can join in on the fun with music and dance performances, martial arts demonstrations and food-court vendors like TBaar steamed dumplings, Encore Asian Dim Sum and frozen delights such as shaved ice.
This is one of the largest multicultural festivals in New York and is quite traditional. The teak boats themselves are custom made by a small coterie of craftsmen in Hong Kong and each weigh one ton. More than 2,500 people across the U.S. and Canada participate in this epic sporting event. The racing kicks off at 9am, so get there early to get a good view.