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Orange paint layered the eyes of large dragon head figurines on Friday at sunset. The dragons were waking up just in time for the first annual Inner Harbor Festival in Syracuse.

“Outside of teaching self-defense, and things like that, we preserve an aspect of Chinese culture,” said Sharif Anael-Bey, a performer at the festival. “We preserve the history, the philosophy, the Lion Dance, the medicine, all of these things. The Dragon Boat Festival is a preservation of Chinese culture as well.”

The festival featured carnival rides, food, shops and traditional Chinese dragon boat racing, continuing a tradition that goes back over 2,000 years. The tradition began when a Chinese poet, Qu Yuan, died in the Miluo River, and people in a nearby village paddled out in their boats to keep the fish away from the body and ensure it was whole.

In late 2022, the city of Syracuse released its $108 million plan to revamp the Inner Harbor. The area has been renovated for several years and finally had the opportunity to host its first festival this year.

On Saturday, each competing boat had 10 to 20 people and one drummer. This was met with the excitement of the accompanying fair, shops and local food. All of these were held in tents, presenting countless different cultures and cuisines.

The event kicked off with a celebration and a lion dance performed by the Syracuse Kung Fu Studio, led by Anael-Bey. The lion dance has dancers in a lion costume to bless the audience and event with good luck.

“We’ve done the lion dance before for dragon festivals in other cities. So, we had to do the first (Inner Harbor Festival) in Syracuse,” Anael-Bey said. “We’re not Chinese and the people doing it aren’t Chinese … but we can demonstrate inclusion by showing our appreciation for old world culture.”

Any festival is a celebration for Judy Reed. She and her husband attended every festival in the area, including but not limited to the Jazz Fest, Arts and Crafts Festival and Irish Festival. They were one of the first in attendance at the first annual Inner Harbor Festival in Syracuse.

She enjoys going to festivals to learn about new cultures and see more of central New York, not to mention the new food and drinks that these festivals offer, Reed said.

The event gives back to the Syracuse community, both in the celebration of culture and through donations. Alexander Behm, the executive director of Clear Path, which supports veterans in the state of New York, was in attendance.

“They’ve been great supporters of Clear Path,” Behm said. “When they brought us in to say they wanted to bring the dragon boats to the Inner Harbor, we saw it as a great opportunity to not only get Clear Path’s mission socialized but also to bring people down here to the Inner Harbor area that’s been redeveloped.”

As the races commenced on Saturday, it kicked off a new era for Syracuse, with a new updated harbor to match the energy of the growing city.

“I can appreciate other cultures, other people, I can show appreciation,” Anael-Bey said. “I can share it with others as well.”

Published on October 1, 2023 at 11:58 pm