The Atlanta Dragon Boat Festival’s opening boat ceremony will take place July 9 before the Gwinnett Braves play a doubleheader against the Charlotte Knights at Coolray Field. The ceremony is in preparation for the races on Sept. 8 on Lake Lanier. 

In the last 15 years the event has grown to a field of more than 50 teams with over 5,000 spectators.

The competitions have been taken place for more than 2,000 years and race slim 39 foot boats with a carved dragon’s head at the prow and a tail at the stern.