Dragon Boats and Beats: QUT festival celebrates multiculturalism
The ancient sport of dragon boat racing and Brisbane’s vibrant multicultural community have been celebrated at an action-packed community day hosted by QUT at New Farm on Saturday.
The 2026 QUT Dragon Boats and Beats Festival attracted 10 teams of rowers, including boats powered by QUT international students who are in Brisbane on study abroad/exchange programs.
The long-running QUT Dragon Boat Regatta has been a signature community event since 2012, but this year marked the first time it was widened out to a full festival.
The 2026 event also welcomed aboard its first sponsorship from the Queensland Government (Multicultural Affairs Queensland).
The funding enabled an enhanced cultural program featuring entertainment, workshops and family-friendly activities to complement the action on the water.
Lion dancing, taiko drumming, Korean drumming and dance, kung fu demonstrations, a petting zoo, and live music from QUT students all proved popular with visitors, young and old.
The regatta is a popular event for QUT students and members of the wider community, who come along to soak up the atmosphere and also compete in dragon boat teams.
This year’s regatta was won by the ‘Oar-some Bananas’ – a QUT student team made up of students who registered individually and were put together on the day in what turned out to be winning combination.
Second place was taken out by the Dean’s Dragons (comprising Dean’s Scholars from the Faculty of Science) and third place went to Globepaddlers 2 (comprising study abroad and exchange international students).
International students interested in studying at QUT can visit the university website for information on study programs and living in Brisbane.
Information on public QUT events can also be found on the QUT events calendar.
Image at top of page: Members of the winning and runner-up teams at the trophy presentation, paddlers on the water, and the lion dance.
Media contact: Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
