Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society
2025 Dragon's Feast Presents
Acknowledgment
The southern tip of Vancouver Island (including Victoria) is part of the traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Lekwungen) peoples. We acknowledge with respect and thank the Lekwungen People, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations communities upon whose traditional territories we host our Dragon's Feast.
Experience the East
This year the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Society wanted to offer our guests a traditional Cantonese style banquet 10 course menu. Please enjoy the special menu presented by Don Mee Seafood restaurant:
• Don Mee Special Cold Platter.
• Fish Maw Soup with Crab Meats.
• Peking Duck – Lettuce Wraps
• Stir Fried Lobster Tails on a bed of Noodle.
• Abalone Mushroom with Bok Choi
• Peking Duck
• Crispy Skin Chicken
• Large prawns with Snow Peas
• Seafood Fried Rice
• Stir Fried Soya Sauce Yi Mein ( noodle )
• Sweet Tapioca Dessert Hot Soup
As we all know food is culture and culture is food and with our mandate to introduce Chinese culture to our friends and community, we hope you will enjoy the experience.
Dragon Feast Schedule
5:00pm Doors Open
6:00pm Opening Remarks
6:10PM Guest Speaker Remarks
6:25PM Dinner Service - Courses 1 - 5
6:55PM Cultural Dance & Special Presentation
7:10PM Dinner Service - Courses 6 - 10
7:35PM Cultural Demonstration
7:50PM Daniel's Cancer Journey
8:00PM All Bids close; last call for 50/50 & Live Auction Begins
8:30PM Results of 50/50 & Silent Auction
9:00pm Good Night All
Your emcee tonight is Tony Joe
Welcome to Our
Night for Food, Fun, Culture and Prizes
The Victoria Dragon Boat Society welcomes you to our annual fundraising Dinner. The chefs at Don Mee's Seafood Restaurant have prepared a Feast fit for a Dragon with a plethera of seafood dishes and other flavours to tantilize your senses.
Our many Sponsors have provied us with oportunities for us to meet our fundraising tagets, the rest is up to you! Please feel free to wander up to the front right hand side of the room to puruse the many items we have to offer. Those items are also catelogued in this Programme gude.
The Festival began in 1994 as part of the 1994 Commonwealth Games championed in Victoria. To mark Hong Kong Day, the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association brought dragon boats from Vancouver to Victoria for exhibition races. At that time, there was not a single dragon boat team training in town.
With the success of these exhibition races, the Festival quickly became established. Since 1994, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, races have been held annually in the Inner Harbour in Victoria in mid-August.
The Festival has also has also made fundraising for BC Cancer part of its programming through our Lights of Courage campaign. Traditional Chinese lanterns are available leading up to the Festival at Fairway Market locations around the region, and on-site at the Festival, with purchasers invited to leave a message of remembrance or hope.
As a thank you for attending our Feast, there will be door prizes for each table. There will be a skill testing question from this Program Guide, so study it carefully and be ready to answer first!
No explanation needed here... you can win 1/2 of the amount sold. Wouldn't that be a nice surprise. Gaming regulations requires winner to be present to collect winnings or we have to draw again, so stay with us until we draw the winning ticket
An arms lenght of tickets for $30.00 5 Tickets for $20.00
Due to gaming regulations you must be present during the Draw to Win.
Lai See - Lucky Money!
Everyone who buys wins here! There are only 50 available at $25.00 each.
The good thing is that each Lai See will have a prize that is equal to $25 or more in value. Prizes will range from $25 to $320 in value. You have a 50% chance of receiving a value greater than $25.
Lai See, also known as the Chinese red envelope dates back to the Song Dynasty, where coins were threaded with red string and given for good luck during the New Year. Red was considered a symbol of good luck, joy, and protection against evil spirits. People would thread coins with a red string and give them to children and young adults during the Chinese New Year as a symbol of well-wishing and blessings for the upcoming year. Over time, this tradition evolved into red cash-filled paper envelopes adorned with intricate patterns, symbols of luck, and promising messages and expanded to various occasions beyond the New Year!
Sponsord
by
Silent Art Auction
Gage Gallery Artists
We are so fortunate again this year to have beautiful paintings donated from artists from Gage Gallery. Take a look at these fabulous art pieces.
Original Acrylic Painting, Titled - 3 Sisters by Beverley Jean Hancock Value $550
Silent Lot 1
by Margo Cooper Value $300
Original Acrylic Painting, Titled - Fish by Beverley Jean Hancock Value $750
Original Acrylic Painting, Titled - 2 Yellow Ladies by Beverley Jean Hancock Value $500
Beverly is an expressionist, figurative, portrait artist. Painting instinctively and intuitively, rarely drawing before painting she often changes directions mid stream, always happy for the surprises that are gifted her when paint collides with canvas. She explores human connection and the emotions that connect us She is driven by curiosity as to how to convey feelings and connect with others on an emotional level through her art.
Silent Lot 4
Margo is a former resident of Penticton, B.C. There she was a member of the Tumbleweed Gallery, where she enjoyed the camaraderie and support of a small artists’ collective. Her family relocated to Victoria in 2006 and Margo managed to retain a long distance membership in the Tumbleweed, until she was invited to join the Gage in early 2015. Margo is now the most senior member of the Gage Artists Collective
Acrylic & Cold Wax
Silent Art Auction
Gage Gallery Artist
We are so fortunate again this year to have beautiful paintings donated from artists from Gage Gallery. Take a look at these fabulous art pieces.
Original Oil Painting, by Donna Rose Value $500
Original Oil Painting, by Donna Rose Value $300
I love bold, vibrant colours. I'm especially drawn to the colours of my childhood, These include: all shades of blue- the refreshing depths of water, the spacious skies, a sense of calm. There are also the many rejuvenating greens of a garden and the forest paired with the plush pinks and crimsons of berries and flowers. - Donna Rose
Digital Art by Anne McCarthy Value $140
Art by Anne McCarthy Value $250
Ever since my introduction to a darkroom during my BFA at Queens University, I have been interested in the incorporation of photographic images into painting, printmaking, and sculpture. At various times I’ve worked with watercolour, collage, photocopies, oil and acrylic as well as non-silver photographic techniques to modify the apparent perfection of photographs with more of the human hand.
Digital
Silent Lot 5
Silent Lot 6
Silent Lot 7
Silent Lot 8
Silent Art Auction
Special Featured Artist Ella Chay
Original Acrylic and Gold Leaf on canvas
Titled - Lion
by Ella Chay
6" x 6"
Value $200
Silent Lot 9
A very special painting with a connection to the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. Ella created this unique piece with the intention of donating it to our fundraiser.
Ella Chay is a contemporary artist based in Victoria, British Columbia. Known for her vibrant mixed media paintings and sculptures, she explores diverse themes such as world-building and transportation, and, more recently, identity and the human experience. Born in Victoria, Chay developed a passion for art at a young age, propelled by her curiosity and her ever-changing perspective of the world.
In 2022, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Visual Arts from the University of Victoria, where she first began to challenge the boundaries of mediums by blending twodimensional paintings and three-dimensional sculptural forms. Chay also holds a minor in Film Studies and is inspired by classic fantasy films and their ability to transport viewers outside of their everyday existence. During her studies, she received the Takao Tanabe Undergraduate Award in Visual Arts (2021) and was nominated for the BMO 1st ART! Award (2022).
Chay’s art has been exhibited in numerous galleries across Victoria, including a solo exhibition at arc.hive Artist Run Centre (2024), and a duo exhibition at Fortune Gallery (2024). In 2023, she worked with the City of Victoria for their annual Commercial Alley Project, where she was challenged to create public artwork that interacted with the city’s iconic architecture. In addition to her studio practice, Chay is also a practiced floral designer with over seven years of experience in the floral industry. She currently works out of Rockslide Studio, Victoria’s largest arts hub, where she continues to push the boundaries of her artistic practice alongside a vibrant community of artists. Created Exclusively for
Silent Auction
Lot 10
Hotel Grand Pacific
1 Night Stay (Victoria Guest Room) w/
Complimentary Parking – Hotel Grand Pacific
Value: $204
Exceptions: Not valid between May 1st to Sept 30th
Lot 11
The Dragon's Snack Basket
Anyone craving a taste of something new? Discover this Dragon's Asian Snack Basket. This isn't just a gift basket, it's a passport to a world of unique and exciting flavors. The Dragon has packed this basket with hand-picked treats that will tantalize your taste buds. Perfect for adventurous foodies
Silent Auction
Gift Baskets
Lot 1 - Gift Basket
Dine Around Victoria
1. Pagliacci’s - $50
2. Block Kitchen + Bar - $100
4. The Village (Estevan) - $50
5. Don Mee - $50
6. Just Matcha - $25
7. Ruffino Prosecco - $20
Total = $345
Lot 2 - Gift Basket
Explore Local Treasures
1. Mary’s Bleue Moon Café - $50
2. Pagliacci’s - $80
3. Don Mee - $50
4. The Village - $50
5. Ithaka - $30
6. C.S Chan Dumplings - $25
7. Block Kitchen + Bar - $100
8. J Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay - $20
Total = $405.00
Live Auction 1
Board of Director's Wine Basket
Live Lot 3
1. Pinot Noir - Bread And Butter 2019
2. Colli De Luni Vermentino - Lunae Bosoni 2022
3. Lacrima Di Morro D'alba - Umani Ronchi Fonte Del Re 2022
4. Damali Lavender & Winery Rhube Lavande Rhubarb
5. Sauvignon Blanc - Kim Crawford Marlborough 375ml
6. Cab Sauv - J Lohr Seven Oaks 375ml
7. Synchromesh Wines - Thorny Vines Riesling 2023
8. Malbec -Domaine Bousquet Mendoza Organic Vegan 375ml
9. Henkell - Trocken Dry Sec 375ml
10. Villa Teresa - Prosecco Frizzante Organic 375ml
11. Villa Teresa - Prosecco Frizzante Organic 375ml
12. Pinot Grigio Val D'adige - Santa Margherita 375ml
13. Sauvignon Blanc - Cono Sur Bicicleta 375ml
14. Veneto Appassimento - Masi Campo��orin375 ml
15. Medoc - Chateau La Gorce 2019 375ml
Live Auction 2 City Stays
Lot 4 - Victoria Marriot Inner Harbour
1 Night Stay (Superior Guest Room) w/ Breakfast for 2 – Victoria Marriot Inner Harbour
Value: $500
Exceptions: Blackout dates – July & August, Long Weekends. Breakfast must be dine-in ($50 limit), and Voucher expires March 6, 2026
Lot 5- Chateau Victoria
1 Night Stay (Suite) w/ Complimentary Parking –Chateau Victoria Value: $536
Exceptions: None
Lot 6 - Union Club
1 Night Stay Union Club (Harbour View) w/ Breakfast for 2
Value: $499
Exceptions: None
Classic
Porsche
Wine Chiller
Created from an original ��nned cylinder from the early, air-cooled 911 models [ G-models ]. These are current listed on line for $550 USD but not available to purchase, so consider it one of a kind
Hockey Package Lot 1
You and 11 Friends will enjoy a Private Suite for a Victoria Royals Hockey Game. The ultimate way to watch a sporting event !
After the game we have a downtown over night stay for 2 @ Victoria's Laurel Point Inn located in the Laural Point Wing, with complimentary parking.
Royals Hockey Game - March 14, 2025
@ Save on Foods Memorial Centre
Value $1420
Courtesey of
Exceptions: Game is on March 14 th , 2025, at 7:05pm. Guests are responsible for all purchases made in the suite.
Hockey Package Lot 2
Canucks vs Vegas Knights
includes Travel & Dinner at any Top Table Restaurant
4 Prime seats in the lower bowl of Roger's Arena for a 7:00pm Canuck game vs Vegas Knights on April 6, 2025 at 7:00 pm. The deal is sweetened with BC Ferries travel for Vehicle and two passengers and a $250 gift certi��cate for any Top Table restaurant.
Game Tix by
Travel by BC Ferries Dinner by NKPG
Thank you to these Dragon Sponsors:
Willow Wealth Management
Kirsty Thompson, Wealth Advisor
Victoria Marriot Inner Harbour
Chateau Victoria
Union Club
Landmark Resource Management
BC Ferries
NKPG
Lee & Sharp Accountants
Willow Wealth Management
Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club
Ella Chay - Artist
Gage Gallery
Beverley Hancock, Artist
Anne McCarthy, Artist
Margo Cooper, Artist
Donna Rose, artist
Fairway Market
Don Mee
Coca Cola
Denny's
Hotel Grand Pacific
Pagliacci's
Block Kitchen + Bar
The Village (Estevan)
Just Matcha
Mary's Bleue Moon Cafe
Ithaka
C.S.Chan Dumplings
Gain Group
Tony Joe
Jess Patterson, Senior Consultant