Barrie Dragon Boat Festival 2020 Cancelled

To our valued Dragon Boat Community,

Due to ongoing events related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrie Public Library staff have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Barrie Dragon Boat Festival out of respect for the health and safety of our community. This decision was not made lightly, and we greatly appreciate your patience during this time of uncertainty. Our nation’s charitable sector, and community events in general, are all experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival is no different.

The Barrie Public Library would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of our Festival supporters, organizing committee, community partners, sponsors, volunteers, suppliers and of course paddlers. It is our wish that we can all recognize this as an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival and the impact it has on our community. We know that together, we will come back stronger in future years and paddle in unison.

Each and every year, the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival raises over $100k for local charitable organizations. Our announcement comes at an opportune time, in that the world will be celebrating #GivingTuesdayNow next week on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Barrie Public Library staff would like to encourage our community to take part in this global movement to support the important work that local charities and non-profits continue to carry out to enrich our community. Please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice in lieu of this year’s Festival not taking place. Every gift matters, especially in these times of great uncertainty.

On behalf of the Barrie Public Library, stay safe. Keep up to date with what’s happening at your library and details regarding future Dragon Boat programming by visiting our website www.barrielibrary.ca/

Paddles up!

Christopher Vanderkruys
Director, Business & Development
Barrie Public Library

Katelyn Lees
Philanthropy & Resource Development Specialist
Barrie Public Library