Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Visit Flushing Meadows Corona Park to see teams from all over North America compete in fiberglass dragon boat races. The festival, which began in 1990, is inspired by the legend of Zhou dynasty poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Ni Lo River after hearing that his homeland had been invaded. Local fishermen paddled out to save him but were too late; they then tossed rice dumplings called zongzi—which you can sample at these restaurants across the City—into the water to distract the fish. In addition to the races, there’s a parade, traditional music and dance performances, and souvenir and food vendors.