"This festival has become an annual tradition for our community, and we look forward to hosting what promises to be an incredible event filled with energy, teamwork and celebration."
That's Cody Winterton, division president for Raintree Investment Corp, the developer behind Lake Las Vegas, describing the dragon boat race scheduled for The Village on October 17. The lake's dragon boat history is longer and more layered than any single festival, and a little background makes the October 17 race easier to place.
Lake Las Vegas hasn't run one dragon boat festival with one host. It's run at least three, under overlapping names, in different months, backed by different sponsors, going back to 2008 when paddlers first started racing on the lake. The boats returning to the water this October are real, and the event is worth putting on the calendar. But if you've watched a race here before and assume you know what you're walking into, you're probably thinking of a different club than the one running this year's show.
Three Clubs, One Lake
The oldest thread is DRAGON, the Dragonboat Racing Association Group of Nevada, a nonprofit built largely around breast cancer awareness fundraising. By its own account, DRAGON has hosted the Nevada International Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Las Vegas every May for more than a decade, alongside teams like its Flyin' Blind crew.
A second organization, the Lake Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club, launched its own event more recently. It called its debut the "First Annual Dragon Boat Festival," held at The Village on May 17 and 18, 2025, with dragon boat racing, a traditional lion dance, food and vendors. The club's president, Ashanti, co-founded the organization after a career that included college football at San Jose State and four seasons as a professional baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, plus a year with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The third is Paddle Vegas Dragon Boat Club, founded by Michelle and Stacy, two paddlers who wanted to strengthen the sport's presence at the lake where it has thrived since 2008. Paddle Vegas fields three named teams: Vegas Pink Warriors, its breast cancer survivor crew; Vegas Neon, a para-dragon team; and Vegas Miners, its youth squad. Paddle Vegas is the club now partnering with a fourth entity, the Mad Dragon Foundation, on the October 17 event.
| Organization | What they call their event | Typical timing | Distinguishing detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| DRAGON (Dragonboat Racing Assn. of Nevada) | Nevada International Dragon Boat Festival | Described as May, though 2023's race ran in October | Built around breast cancer fundraising |
| Lake Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club | "First Annual" Dragon Boat Festival | May (debuted 2025) | Includes a lion dance and vendor village |
| Paddle Vegas Dragon Boat Club + Mad Dragon Foundation | Lake Las Vegas Dragon Boat Festival ("revival") | October 17, 2026 | Sponsored by the City of Henderson |
The Date That Actually Moved
DRAGON's own membership page describes its Nevada International Dragon Boat Festival as a May fixture. But a Review-Journal photo from the most recent documented running of the event carries the caption "Nevada Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023." So the race has appeared in different months across recent years, which is worth knowing when you plan a Saturday around it.
The Lake Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club's May 2025 debut adds another chapter. Each of the lake's paddling organizations has hosted racing at different points, and a 2026 date for that club's follow-up event has not surfaced in published listings.
What's landing this year comes from a different combination entirely. The Mad Dragon Foundation, led by executive director Bobbie McCue, is producing the October 17 race in partnership with the Lake Las Vegas Master Association and Paddle Vegas, in association with Pan Am Dragon Boat. The City of Henderson is sponsoring it. Organizers expect teams from around the country and from the Philippines, and McCue has called it explicitly a revival, not a continuation.
"We are excited to unite the community for a day of sport, culture, and fun. Our collaboration with the Lake Las Vegas Master Association and the Paddle Vegas Dragon Boat Club ensures this festival will be an inspiring and inclusive event for all."
What Actually Happens on Oct. 17
Teams compete in 11- or 21-person boats, each steered by a drummer who sets the pace. The minimum paddling age is 14, and organizers frame the day as open to youth, para-athletes, families, schools and business groups. Every participant gets equipment, instruction and a practice session before racing, and spectators get in free, with dining and entertainment running at The Village for the full day.
Race categories, per the Pan Am Dragon Boat registration page, include Community Festival Mixed, Corporate Festival Mixed, Club Open, Club Women, a BCS division for breast cancer survivor teams, and a Paradragons Youth category. Community and corporate teams race 200 meters in 10-paddler boats. Club teams race longer distances, from 200 to 2,000 meters, in either 10- or 20-paddler configurations. Team entry fees range from roughly $550 for a single 10-paddler community entry up to $990 for a full 20-paddler club or community boat.
The event is being staged at the same stretch of water Lake Las Vegas has used for racing since the sport arrived in 2008, on the lake surrounding the 3,600-acre resort community that includes Reflection Bay Golf Club and the Lake Las Vegas Sports Club.
If You Want to Paddle Before Race Day
You don't need racing experience to get in a boat before October 17. Paddle Vegas welcomes new paddlers on the first Sunday of every month, and experienced paddlers can join any regular practice session. DRAGON runs its own open practices for $10 a session, with no swimming ability required since every paddler wears a personal flotation device and equipment is provided.
If you're trying to figure out which club is actually racing this fall, the answer is Paddle Vegas, working under the Mad Dragon Foundation's banner. If you're trying to figure out which club to join for the long term, that's a separate question, since DRAGON, the Lake Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club and Paddle Vegas all still operate independently on the same water.
On October 17, the races run at The Village at Lake Las Vegas, produced by the Mad Dragon Foundation together with Paddle Vegas and the Lake Las Vegas Master Association, with free admission for anyone who wants to watch.
Dawn Balmer tracks what's actually happening on Lake Las Vegas beyond the golf course and the HOA newsletter, because knowing which festival is racing this fall is the same kind of local read that matters when you're deciding where on the lake to plant yourself. Schedule a Consultation if you want that read applied to a specific address.
