THE DRAGONS ARE COMING!

Fifth Annual Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival to support Gulf Coast Kid’s House and
Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida

Come see the fastest growing water sport around the world!  At Bayview Park, behind Bayou Texar, on September 8th at 8 am for the Annual Pensacola Dragon Boat Festival presented by Wind Creek Casino. Northeast Pensacola Sertoma is bringing this event back for the fifth year to benefit Gulf Coast Kid’s House (GCKH) and new this year, Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida. This all-day festival is complete with food, drinks, children’s activities, contests, music and more. Watch while teams from local businesses, civic groups and non-profits compete to take home the glory and show who has the most spirit in Pensacola.  

In preparation for the festival, be sure to gather your 20 closest friends or coworkers with rhythm and who can follow a beat.  Follow App River’s lead, who begin practicing months in advance at weekly team meetings while sitting side by side in their offices using anything from umbrellas to baseball bats as paddles.  If nothing else, come up with a catchy name like “Big Gas Dragons” from Pensacola Energy, throw on a tutu or a dragon costume and get ready because each team will compete at least 3 races throughout the day.  Competition is stiff and last year’s Champions “I Like Big Boats and I Cannot Lie” from Caldwell Associates will be back to defend their title.

Each year, this festival proves that where dragons go, magic will follow and over the last four years this event has raised over $80,000 for GCKH.  This event has grown so much they had added a second beneficiary to spread the wealth and attract new supporters.  In fact, this event is even gaining regional attention, rumor has it Pensacola is in the running against Atlanta to host the Southeastern Dragon Boat Association Regional Championship in 2019.  Pensacola knows how to show support for great causes while making sure it’s an unforgettable party. This year, we hope to have even more teams ready to cut through the waves to victory in support of children in our local community.

If you have any questions or want to know how you can get involved from volunteering to sponsorship, please reach out to Bryan Morelock, our Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.pensacoladragonboatfestival.com.