First official Dubai-wide sporting event to take place at Marasi Business Bay 

Dubai, UAE – 24 January 2017:  Dubai Properties (DP), a leading Dubai-based real estate master developer and asset manager of renowned destinations across the Emirate, has announced its sponsorship of the DP Dragon Boat Festival. The race is scheduled to take place on the 27th and 28th January 2017, for the first time at Marasi Business Bay, DP’s newest landmark mixed-use destination.

According to Juma Bin Darwish, Senior Executive Director Retail & Hotel Asset Management at DP: “Dubai Properties is proud to partner with Siren Events to bring such a popular sporting event to the region’s first purpose-built yachting destination and multipurpose venue with world-class sporting facilities and entertainment outlets. Marasi Business Bay is the perfect starting point for such an eagerly-awaited race and ideal location for residents and visitors to create lasting memories.”

DP continues to promote health and wellbeing among the citizens and visitors in Dubai, through its holistic developments and destinations, as well as initiatives like dragon boating, a sport that is all about positive team spirit, being healthy, making friends and having fun. As Title Sponsor of the event, DP will have multiple teams competing in the festival. 

As one of the world’s fastest growing watersports, with over 50 million annual competitions worldwide, dragon boating is fast gaining popularity in the UAE. The Dragon Boat Festival was first established in the UAE more than a decade ago and has since grown to see more than 10,000 spectators attend the various dragon boating events across the UAE each year.  The 2017 DP Dragon Boat Festival, which will take place under the motto “Fun, Fitness, Camaraderie and Community Involvement”, is a community event that will bring together more than 70 companies, universities, schools and various community groups from across the UAE to compete in the exciting water sport bursting with adrenaline and sportsmanship. The two-day festival will host a variety of family-friendly activities including a stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) race, fitness classes and demonstrations, a dedicated children’s activity area with arts & crafts, a soft play area, face painting, and climbing wall, as well as an F&B area with food trucks and other culinary delights.

The iconic Marasi Business Bay is already redefining the Business Bay landscape and becoming the location of choice for outdoor family time. The Marasi Business Bay Promenade which opened to the public in November 2016, is a must-visit sporting, leisure and outdoor venue in Dubai, perfect for the city’s new generation of active, fitness-conscious citizens and visitors looking for a multipurpose workout destination. Throughout the DP Dragon Boat Festival, Marasi Business Bay will provide a vibrant and ideal waterfront location with a multitude of entertainment for spectators and participants.

The UAE Dragon Boat is the official governing body for the sport of dragon boating within the UAE and it operates under the umbrella of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation that governs all modern water sports. Currently, the UAE Dragon Boat, in conjunction with the UAE SARF and Siren Events, hosts between 4-6 dragon boat events annually.