The annual River Cities Dragon Boat Festival returns to Maumelle’s Lake Willastein this Friday and Saturday.

On Friday night, the event will start at 6 p.m. and conclude with a 9 p.m. fireworks show. On Saturday, the dragon boat races will begin at 9 a.m. Admission is free.

A complete schedule for the festival is:

Friday

• Noon: Athlete’s Village team set up begins

• 4:45 p.m.: Athlete’s Village closes to all vehicles

• 5 p.m.: Team check-in begins, Team practices on the water, Food Trucks open, Yard Games open

• 6 p.m.: Children’s Area Opens

• 7 p.m.: Music, fun from the stage

• 8:30 p.m.: Practices finish

• 9:10 p.m.: Fireworks Show

Saturday

• 7:30 a.m.: Athlete’s Village opens, all paddlers arrive, sign waivers receive wrist bands

• 9 a.m.: Opening Ceremony & Drummer’s Parade

• 9:15 a.m.:  Marshalling & Races Begin

• 11:30 a.m :  Dragon Cup Race

• 1 p.m.: Championship Round

• 2:45 p.m.: Awards Ceremony

• Proceeds from the festival benefit the Children’s Protection Center and last year, the event raised more than $150,000, according to organizers.

The event will also feature food trucks in addition to games and watching the 46-foot-long dragon 

There’s a total of 40 teams scheduled to race. They are:

Team Name … Company

• Motor Boaters … 10 Fitness

• ACDI … ACDI

• Boats & Joes … National Guard Association of Arkansas

• HEARTbeat of the Lake … Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC)

• ACAA Flying Dragon … Arkansas Chinese American Association

• Hard Hat Legion #1 … Baldwin & Shell Construction #1

• Hard Hat Legion #2 … Baldwin & Shell Construction #2

• Blazing Paddles … Baptist Rehab-NLR / Horton’s Orthotics & Prosthetics

• Purple Hearted Dragon Slayers … CareSource PASSE

• SurvivOARS I  … Centers for Youth and Families

• SurvivOARS II Centers for Youth and Families

• Central AR Water … Central AR Water

• Ruh Row … City of Maumelle

• Boats & Rows … Community Team

• Juice Box Heroes … Community Team

• Row A Rita Ville … Community Team

• THRYV … Community Team

• Drop It Like It’s Yacht … Conway Behavioral Health

• D1Fitness … D1Fitness

• Toner Pirates … DataMax

• On the Beat … Division of Children and Family Services of DHS

• EOS Trucking

• Rowed Warriors … Families, Inc.

• Teal Titans … First Security Bank

• Assets Afloat … Forvis

• Gforce … Garver

• InSync Oar Swim … InSync Counseling

• Jacksonville Community Team … Jacksonville Community Team

• Keller Williams … Keller Williams

• Krewe Grit … Kimbel Mechanical Systems

• Kimberly Clark Corporation … Kimberly Clark Corporation

• Little Creek/Mill Creek/Piney Ridge Behavioral Health  … Little Creek/Mill Creek/Piney Ridge Behavioral Health

• The Team Formerly Known as Molex … Phillips Medisize

• Pinnacle Pirates … Pinnacle Pointe Behavioral Health

• TelaDoc

• The Red Watch …The Red Watch

• United Rentals … United Rentals

• Team Ka Ching! #1 … US Bank 1

• Team Ka Ching! #2 … US Bank 2

• Meadows Muscles … Woodmen of the World

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