SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The 24th Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival concluded Sunday in the city of Oakland, Northern California, after two days of fierce competition among 120 teams from around the world.
The two-day event, presented by the California Dragon Boat Association (CDBA), is the largest dragon boat festival in the United States.
Linda Cheu, the CDBA's festival director, told Xinhua that a total of 120 teams from all over the world, including the Philippines, Australia and Germany, competed in nearly 100 races.
"We have a whole bunch of high school teams from San Francisco, Oakland and all other the Bay Area, altogether 24 high school teams," she said.
Cheu added that some local companies and non-profits such as Kiser Permanente, an Oakland-headquartered heath care consortium, and publishing giant Adobe Inc., also sent teams to join the event.
"Dragon boating came from China over 2,000 years ago, but now there are teams all over the world," she said.
Hundreds of participants from different teams gave spectacular shows to thousands of spectators as they paddled the colorful 40-foot (12-meter) dragon boats with the beat of Chinese drums.
This year's admission-free festival featured cultural performances, Asian cuisines, including Thai, Japanese and Filipino, as well as arts and crafts booths, and kids zone for families and children.
"It's really a great community festival for all to have a great time," Cheu said.
