Hamilton Waterfest - Saturday, July 8th & Sunday July 9th, 2023

Location

Bayfront Park, 200 Harbour Front Drive, Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 1C8

Directions
From Toronto, take Hwy 401 W towards Hamilton.
Take the Queen Elizabeth Way and Hwy 403 W.
Take exit 73 to York Blvd.
Turn left onto Bay Street N.
Turn left onto Harbour Front Drive.

Parking is free and available on-site, but is limited. Car pooling is always encouraged.

Pricing

Category # of Races Before January 1 Before May 1 After May 1
Mixed Division 4 1050.00 1100.00 1150.00
Small Crew Mixed 4 700.00 750.00 800.00
Women's Division 4 1050.00 1100.00 1150.00
Small Crew Women’s 4 700.00 750.00 800.00
Open Division 4 1050.00 1100.00 1150.00
Small Crew Open 4 700.00 750.00 800.00
BCS Division 4 1050.00 1100.00 1150.00
**2nd Gender Team 4 700.00 750.00 800.00
***Out of Province 4 550.00 550.00 550.00

NEW for 2023! A “Small Crew” Division has been added to the Mixed, Women’s and Open Divisions. Small Crews are made up of no more than 10 paddlers on the water (maximum 15 on the roster). These races will still take place in standard dragon boats.

**2nd Gender Team only applies to a Women’s or Open team where 50% of the paddlers are also paddling on a registered Mixed team. This does not apply to Small Crew entries.

***Out of Province pricing only applies to teams who are located outside of the province of Ontario OR travelling more than 400km to attend this festival.

Prices do not include tax. Your registration fee includes one practice on Friday, July 8th, a steersperson on race day and your entry fee. Teams that require a steersperson for practice may hire one for an additional $100 fee.

Awards

Gold, Silver & Bronze medals will be awarded to the top 3 teams in each Division A final.

Gold medals will be awarded to the top team in every other Division final (B-Z).

Gold, Silver & Bronze medals will be awarded to the top 3 teams in each 2000m final.

Awards will be handed out after the conclusion of each division final.

Each team will receive 25 medals, however if you need additional medals, you may purchase them for $10 each.

Schedule

Full schedule will be posted on Monday, July 3rd, 2023.

Mixed Teams (standard and small crew)

  • Mixed teams will race on Saturday, July 8th, ONLY.
  • All teams registered as a Mixed team will race in a 200m heat and a 500m heat.
  • Combined times of the 200m & 500m heats will seed into the 500m final and the 2000m final.

Gender Teams (standard and small crew)

  • Women’s/BCS/Open teams will race on Sunday, July 9th, ONLY.
  • All teams registered in a Gender division will race in a 200m heat and a 500m heat.
  • Combined times of the 200m & 500m heats will seed into the 500m final and the 2000m final.

Race head quarters will open at 7:00am for teams to complete any outstanding registration documents. Captain’s meeting to take place at 7:15am, marshalling for first race begins at 7:45am. Races are set to begin at approximately 8:00am both days.

Vendors

Stay tuned for all of the exciting food, drink and merchandise vendors!

Are you interested in being a vendor at our event? We would love to have you!

Vendor fees are $125 +hst and all vendors receive:

  • A 10x10 space in a prime area of the park
  • Website & logo promotion on our Festival page
  • Promotion through our team information bulletins
  • The option to add a business card, promotional item or coupon to our team swag bags

Vendors who select to be Race Sponsors (for an additional $25) will also receive logo/website promotion on our race schedule (printed and online) and company promotion/announcements over the loud speaker throughout the festival.

*Please note: In order to best serve our participants, we reserve the right to turn down vendor applications if we feel as though the market is already covered in this area.

Click here to register

Interested in being an Alkame Festival Series Sponsor? We are always looking for amazing partners to work with! Check out our Sponsorship Package today!

Volunteers

Are you interested in volunteering with us this year? The Alkame Festival Series is a great place to make friends, build new contacts, and gain work experience!

Come volunteer with us for a day! Enjoy a day outside where you will be helping the festival organizers with many possible tasks, including but not limited to:

  • Setting up and taking down equipment
  • Providing dock assistance
  • Being a runner for the finish line
  • Attending the parking lot

Volunteer opportunities are available in 4-hour time slots, and each volunteer will receive a shirt, lunch, AND students may also use these as high school volunteer hours (if approved by the school).

Ready to register? Sign-up for an awesome summer here

Questions?

Questions about this event? Need some help with registering? Send an email to katy.dunlop@alkame.ca