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Dragons to race across Lake Norman

The annual Charlotte Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Festival Race are set to take place Saturday at Ramsey Creek Park on Lake Norman in Cornelius.

The family friendly festival features a wide variety of traditional Asian offerings in food, stage performances, cultural exhibits and merchandise.

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Originating over 2,300 years ago on the life-sustaining rivers of southern China, dragon boat racing is an important part of the Chinese traditional calendar. The Charlotte race is an open competition and features teams from the business community, nonprofit organizations, high schools, colleges and citizen groups.

Heats for the dragon boat race begin at 8:45 a.m., and races will continue throughout the day.

The Asian Festival opens at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Know before you go

There is no public parking for the festival at Ramsey Creek Park. Parking is available at 8900 North Pointe Executive Park in Huntersville and a complimentary shuttle service will take you to the festival site.

For more information, visit charlottedragonboat.com.

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