Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 2022 (photo essay)

After being on pause for a few years, the highly regarded Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival returned to the City of Ottawa. Besides the spirited races held over the weekend on the water, it has a charitable side, raising funds for initiatives across the city. The atmosphere is joyful, and there are family-aimed activities for all, including a giant dragon bouncy castle and complimentary concerts in the evenings. This year’s event, held June 24 through 26 at Mooney’s Bay Park, featured two nights of music.

Night one was ushered in by indie fuzz-pop group Stoby, who recognized Saint-Jean Batiste day by performing a song by Weezer in French. They were followed by Ottawa-based Frown Line, filling the air with easy pleasing songs. As the evening progressed, the audience swelled on the park’s hill, all poised on having a great time listening to the multi-award-winning band The Strumbellas. Even with having paused performing for a spell and adding Jimmy Chauveau to the lineup, the energy was upbeat and delightful. You would never have guessed it was just their second recent performance.

On the final night, Métis singer-songwriter Steve Neville started the evening off with an acoustic set featuring songs from his LP, Off Track, speaking to his recent experiences with cancer. Wakefield, QC quartet Rebelle followed with an hour set of alt-rock music. As the sky turned cotton-candy-hued, things shifted to a sing-along and dance groove with Serena Ryder, who ensured the crowd kept happy and hydrated in the evening hours.

Overall, although the weekend’s heat may have been more challenging for those racing, it lent to beautiful music-filled evenings among friends, new and old, at Mooney’s Bay.