WHEN- Thursday, July 25th at 11:00 AM (rain or shine),
WHERE- FATHER DUFFY SQ IN TIMES SQ. NYC –Across the street from the Times Square Museum & Visitor Center- 7th Ave @ 46th & 47th Street – Adjacent to the TKTS booth
WHAT- DRAGON BOAT AWAKENING CEREMONY– BUDDHIST MONKS, AND SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTISTS TO PERFORM, BLESS AND UNVEIL DRAGON BOATS FOR THE 2013 HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK. THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE
Media, Invited Guests, Elected Officials, VIP’s, Sponsors and Traditional Chinese Shaolin Martial Artists will look on as Shi Fu Jie Tong and Shi Fu Ming Yu from World Chan Buddhist Association perform the Traditional Awakening Blessing of the Dragon Boats, “Kicking off” the festivities leading up to the 2013 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York, and bringing prosperity and good fortune to the area and those involved. Dignitaries and invited guests will have the opportunity to Dot the Eye of the Dragon.
“THE DRAGON BOAT AWAKENING CEREMONY” includes a brief performance from the Shaolin Masters of the Shaolin Temple Overseas headquarters.
Father Duffy Square
Broadway, W. 46 St. To W. 47 St., 7 Ave. Manhattan – Adjacent to the TKTS booth
The northern triangle of Times Square, located between 45th and 47th Streets, Broadway and Seventh Avenue, Duffy Square, has been a magnet for tourists, a staging area for public rallies, the scene of victory celebrations, and since 1973 a destination point for those in search of reduced-price theater tickets. This square—so central to the theater district–is defined by statues of George M. Cohan and Father Duffy, as well as a large public viewing grandstand along the north side.
THE 23rd annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York is Sat Aug 10 & Sun Aug 11, 9am-5pm. Free, rain or shine. Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY.www.hkdbf-ny.org
EXPERIENCE TORONTO, CANADA By Terri and Martin Hirsch