Denver's annual Dragon Boat Festival draws over 150,000 people

Large crowds came out to enjoy the annual Dragon Boat Festival, which took place in Denver this weekend at Sloan's Lake Park.

This is the 26th year of the event, which is the largest dragon boat festival in the country. It's also the largest celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture in Colorado.

The event had lots of delicious food, live music and, of course, two days of dragon boat racing. It also included a "Dragon Land" area for children and educational activities, a marketplace with over 100 vendors and lion and dragon dance performances.

Before the event, Executive Director of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Sara Moore told CBS Colorado, "So, we started in 2001, so this is our 26th anniversary. So, we're honoring the Year of the Fire Horse this year, so that is the zodiac. And it has grown from about 15,000 people to over 200,000 some years."

Moore said the festival is for everyone and serves to uplift the AANHPI community while building bridges to honor their culture, art and traditions.

This year, an Eagle Scout candidate launched a $15,000 campaign to protect the festival equipment so the community can continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Organizers say more than 150,000 people came out over the two days of the festival.