SEPT 26-27, 2026

FOSTER CITY, CA

SF BAY AREA COMPETiTIVE DRAGON BOAT FALL SPRINTS

DASH FOR CASH $$$!

Come race the Sprints! We guarantee an adrenaline-pumping great time!

Sign up now and get a chance to win a cool cash prize for racing! So come to race, and stay to play!

FOSTER CITY, CA

SEPT 26-27, 2026

SF BAY AREA
COMPETITIVE
DRAGON BOAT
FALL SPRINTS

dash for cash $$$!

Come race the Sprints! We guarantee an adrenaline-pumping great time!

Sign up now and get a chance to win a cool cash prize for racing! So come to race, and stay to play!

Looking for our novice race? Click here

Looking for our novice race?
Click here

The Bay Area Dragons (BAD) is the first, founding dragon boat club in Northern California, founded in 1996 by our Canadian founders, when they moved here and found out that dragon boat racing did not exist! Our non-profit organization is the Bay Area Dragon Boat Foundation.

BAD began with 2 boats having practices in San Francisco by the pier,  growing the sport from 1 humble team to spreading the racing bug that has sprouted many more dragon boat clubs over the years. BAD hosted the first dragon boat race festival in San Francisco over 28 years ago.

BAD has been hosting an annual summer dragon boat race since the early 2000s, with a new festival name change 14 years ago and in 2024 we welcomed the Year of the Dragon with a new Competitive Fall Sprints invitational race format for competitive and recreational teams! 

Come join the Fall Sprints Regatta and enter our exciting dragon waters on the beautiful lagoons in Foster City, California!  We’ve got new boats and new gear for a fun weekend of competitive racing!

Foster City is just 15 minutes drive from the SFO airport, 30 minutes drive north to downtown San Francisco, and 30 minutes heading south to Silicon Valley.  It is central to everything and a great base for your racing and sightseeing vacation to the SF Bay Area.

Thank you for sending off the end of summer and welcoming the fall with us at our home base of Foster City, with a beautiful lagoon, great spectator viewing along the park boardwalk, and spacious grassy areas for teams to relax on.  Come for racing, stay for vacation!

Please email race@bayareadragons.org with any questions.


REGISTRATION

The SF Bay Area Dragon Boat Competitive Sprints will be held on September 26-27, 2026 at Leo Ryan Park in Foster City, CA.

Sign up now and get a chance to win a cool $$$ cash prize for racing!

After racing, enjoy a vacation covering the Napa wine country, Monterey Bay, Carmel, San Francisco's rich food and culture scene, famous eats all along the Peninsula, and the technology hub of Silicon Valley! The world's kitchens are at your fingertips! End your racing season with a blast! COME TO RACE, STAY TO PLAY!

Team Entry Registration opens now and closes on August 8, 2026 or when the race grid is full.  Sign up now and don't miss out!

RACE FEES

Race fees details will be provided after you register your account and log in.

Race waivers and other race details will be provided after your team is registered.

Registration Entry is for a standard mixed team or women's team.  A women's team would be competing in the Mixed Division.

There will be a separate women's division race if there are at least 3 women's teams registered.

There will be a separate men's/open division race if there are at least 3 men's teams registered.

There will be a separate mixed college division race If there are at least 3 college teams registered.

There will be Specialty Races as well.

Team Entry is confirmed when registration entry fee is paid in full.

Please email race@bayareadragons.org with any questions


About

The Bay Area Dragons (BAD) founded “Paddle For Life”, a charity race that began in 2000, to introduce the dragon boat racing sport to the local community while giving back to local cancer charities.  Paddle For Life ran successfully for 10 years until 2010, when it was subsequently moved to other states for expansion.  In 2014, BAD revived the race in Foster City as a summer race festival for corporate teams in the Bay Area.  The Bay Area Dragon Boat (BAD) Novice Race is a popular signature summer event in the community, with over 1000 paddlers joining the races! It is a wonderful opportunity for team building, to get outdoors and get active, and meet people from communities across the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Starting in 2024, BAD added another Competitive Fall Sprints race event to give recreational and competitive teams an exciting Sprints Regatta event in the fall to finish the racing season. Having a Cash Prize has only upped the ante on getting your adrenaline rush! 

FAQ

CONTACT US

We are Bay Area Dragons. Feel free to contact us!

Race Organizer: race@bayareadragons.org

Payment: treasurer@bayareadragons.org