The organizers of Vancouver’s Dragon Boat Festival say they’ve been forced to cancel next year’s event due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a statement, Dragon Boat BC said that Vancouver’s Host City agreement with the international soccer body bans sports and cultural events in the city during a certain time period, and also restricts events within a certain perimeter of BC Place Stadium.
The festival traditionally takes place in late June with competitions in False Creek, a stone’s throw from the stadium.
The World Cup is scheduled to take place in Vancouver from June 11 to June 19.
“The host city agreement restricts events that happen within a certain timeframe of the games from June 1st until the end of July, but also on top of that, it restricts activity within a security zone,” Dragon Boat BC senior development, marketing and operations director Dominic Lai said.
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“And as we’re on False Creek in Olympic Village and at Concord Pacific Place, we fall directly in that. And so we’ve been told that we will not be allowed to operate next year.”
The organization says it presented “a range of scenarios and their impacts” to both the city and the provincial government since the tournament was announced.
These scenarios, it said, detailed the “stark financial and operational impacts” the tournament would have on the Dragon Boat Festival, and also laid out different time frames, locations and presentation formats.
Organizers say they asked the city and province to work with them, but have received no support from either for “alternate scenarios” they presented.
The Dragon Boat Festival isn’t the only one facing potential impacts from the tournament.
The Host City Agreement also requires the city to “establish a “controlled area” located “directly adjacent to the outer stadium perimeter” which could potentially force nearby businesses to close.
It was also revealed last month that demands on security and law enforcement will virtually shut down the court system in the Lower Mainland for the month of June.
The City of Vancouver referred questions to the provincial government, but said it was working with the organizers of cultural and sporting events to “ensure that events don’t conflict geographically.”
“We expect most annual events to proceed in some form, though some may see adjustments in timing, location or scale,” it said.
A spokesperson said Tourism Minister Anne Kang was unavailable for an interview.
In a statement attributed to the ministry, the province said it was aware the festival was being affected.
“Major events can create challenges for communities—sometimes requiring established events to change timing or location, and we appreciate how difficult those adjustments can be,” the statement reads.
“FIFA World Cup 26™ was announced in 2022, and event organizers throughout the province have been using this lead time to prepare for changes to events impacted by the FIFA World Cup 26™. Many events are successfully finding alternative dates, and locations for their events in the lead up to FIFA World Cup 26™.”
The city and the province forecast the World Cup will attract more than a million out-of-province visitors between 2026 and 2031, generating over $1 billion in additional spending.
The latest estimates peg the cost of hosting the event in B.C. as high as $624 million.
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