It was an exceptional week in Darwin. Joined by delegates from our Sister and Friendship Cities, and broadcast locally, nationally and internationally to millions of viewers across the globe, that officially brings a close to the 2023 Darwin International Dragon Boat Festival.
Across three big days, the Honourable Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis welcomed international and interstate guests to Darwin across a number of key events, including; a Welcome Reception at Parliament House, Dragon Boat Festival, Sister and Friendship City Gala Dinner, International Trade Show and Business Networking events.
It was fantastic to have many local and international distinguished guests with us to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, a tradition that has taken place for over 2000 years. Darwin is a city with wonderful multicultural communities, and it was an honour to share in these traditions and celebrations together here on Larrakia country. Congratulations to the winners of the race, our Sister City Guangzhou team! It was an outstanding performance, taking the title from fierce rivals Qingdao University by 5/100th of a second. It could not have been more thrilling to watch.
The International Trade Show was also a great success, a fantastic event to boost connections and facilitate trade and investment opportunities.
Overall, this has been a unique opportunity for cultural and economic prosperity, facilitated by our very active International Relations Program. From these exchanges, we were pleased to announce a scholarship program with our longest standing Sister City, Kalymnos. We also welcomed a large delegation from our newest Sister City, Denpasar, which included students ready to commence hospitality training with GTNT – an outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding between Denpasar and Darwin and the visit to Denpasar by Lord Mayor in 2022.
There have been so many positive messages from our international visitors and locals alike and we are thrilled to have hosted this historical event. Thank you to all the participants, volunteers, sponsors, businesses, community groups, performers, dragon boaters, cheering spectators and everyone who contributed to this incredible festival.
