Avalon Dragons finally win it at home
By Mark Squibb
A strong gust of wind blowing across Octagon Pond could have easily upset months of preparation, but thankfully, the weather complied, and the dragon boats, aided by four steerspersons brought in from Nova Scotia, were able to hit the water for the 2026 Paddle in Paradise Dragon Boat Festival.
“We had a fabulous time, and we’re really, really pleased,” said chairperson Alice Mannion.
Sixteen teams participated with the Avalon Dragons themselves claiming the gold medal, a first in the festival’s 14-year history.
“We had fierce competition,” said Mannion. “The three other teams that we competed against in the final championship race, anyone of us could have won it. It was that close.”
A team from Ottawa, the Hurricane Winds, came in second. Mannion said that although the organization hasn’t advertised the festival to dragon boat racers outside the province, as construction work is still ongoing near Octagon Pond and the race site resembles a construction zone more than a festival site, word of the festival has spread, nonetheless.
“For the last four or five or six years we’ve had at least one out-of-province team come on their own,” said Mannion. “The teams have given us all kinds of accolades. They’ve said they’ve been to festivals that have been much prettier, but we’ve never had the hospitality and the welcome and pure friendship we provided to them.’”
Even with the festival behind them for another year, the Avalon Dragons are not putting down their paddles anytime soon. The Dragons will travel to Aix-les-Bains, France, in August to participate in the International Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Festival and will be training extensively over the next few weeks.
The Dragons hope to host the Paradise festival again next July, but Mannion said the date may be contingent on the construction at Octagon Pond.
“We understand that there is more construction happening at the site, so until we know what’s happening, it’s difficult to say, but at this point we’re going to say that it’s happening on July 17, 2027, and if things change, we’ll just have to adapt,” said Mannion, who thanked residents, volunteers, participants, and the Town of Paradise for making the event possible each year.