DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

Entries are now open! - Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival 2025!

Alternatively, you can download our MK DBF Flyer 2025, fill in your details and send it to us by post at Unit 5 The Old Quarry, Nene Valley Business Park, Oundle, PE8 4HN or scan the entry form and send to dragonboatevents@newwave-events.co.uk.

Once, we receive your entry we will send you an email with a payment link for card payment (2% transaction charge), an invoice for a bank transfer or you can send us a cheque for the right amount (Please specify how you are going to pay on the entry form). You can also pay by card directly via the online entry form. Once the payment is received, we will send you an acknowledgement email with a confirmation of entry and further information on the event*. If you are the assigned Crew Manager, we will be contacting you with any new information related to the event.

*Please note that your entry is not confirmed until you've received an acknowledgment email.

ENTER ONLINE NOW DOWNLOAD PDF FORM

Entry Levels

Entries will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. No refunds will be given once an entry has been accepted and there can be no refund if the Festival or racing has to be cancelled due to conditions outside the control of NewWave Events. 

Standard entry - £750 + vat (£900)

• Dragon boats, qualified helms and all racing equipment
• At least 3 races per crew
• Music and entertainment
• Trophies for the top three crews, the best-placed mixed crew (minimum 5 ladies), the crew raising the most money for a charity and the ‘best dressed’ crews
• Medals for the top three crews
• A prize for the team raising the most money for Brain Tumour Research
• All full-resolution photographs from the day available digitally

Silver entry - £1,370 + vat plus £500 donation to Brain Tumour Research (£2,144)

Standard entry plus £500 donation to Brain Tumour Research, company logo on the back of each side of one dragon boat, acknowledgment on the Festival website, online souvenir programme and commentary

Gold - £1,690 + vat plus £750 donation to Brain Tumour Research (£2,778)

• Silver entry plus an additional £250 donation to Brain Tumour Research (£750 total), company logo on the front of each side of one dragon boat, crew gazebo with chairs and half page advert in our online souvenir programme

Support Brain Tumour Research! 

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.

Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.

We are the only national charity in the UK focused on finding a cure for all types of brain tumours through campaigning to increase the national investment in brain tumour research to £35 million per year, while fundraising to create a network of seven sustainable Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the UK.

Website: www.braintumourresearch.org

Tel: 01908 867200

Email: info@braintumourresearch.org

Facebook: /BrainTumourResearch

Twitter: @braintumourrsch

Top Fundraisers Prize -

Corporate Package (for up to 24 people) - Urban Battlefields

Urban Battlefields are giving the top fundraising team an incredible corporate package! Outdoor laser tag on purpose built battlegrounds sprawling over 14 acres!

A 2 hour session playing Capture the Flag, Team Elimination and Domination, using 3 mission maps. Camouflage hats and coveralls, mission instructors and unlimited ammo this is a brilliant prize for the deserving winner!

Media Partners

MKFM

https://www.mkfm.com/ 

MKFM is the local radio station for Milton Keynes providing a mainstream service with all the latest news, weather and travel for the area. Broadcasting live daily from Stadium MK, MKFM supports the community in a number of ways including support for charities and local business. During the pandemic MKFM became the most listened to station locally with over 335,000 unique users visiting MKFM.com each month. With the biggest social media platform in Milton Keynes, MKFM provides a number of services for businesses including radio and digital media.

MKFM is proud to support the MK Dragon Boat Festival for another year. It’s always such a fantastic community event, and a great day out teambuilding and supporting so many good causes. We look forward to taking part (even when we come last place in the race), supporting another successful event in 2024 and for many years to come!

Business MK

https://businessmk.co.uk/

Business MK is the leading business newspaper for Milton Keynes, North Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, reporting, reflecting and analysing the latest business news, views and comment from the area’s thriving business community. It is mailed to around 5,000 business decision-makers every month and is available online and at selected venues around the area

Business MK has been a proud media partner of the MK Dragon Boat Festival since 2015. The event is a fantastic fundraiser for local charities and brings colleagues together for some great teambuilding, morale boosting and fun. We are delighted to give it the promotion and coverage it deserves.

MK Pulse Magazine

https://mkpulse.co.uk/ 

MK Pulse is the area’s ‘go to’ glossy lifestyle magazine. Published monthly, distributed to 32,000 homes across the Milton Keynes area and packed with superb features, information and a guide to what’s on locally each month. We are delighted to join our sister title Business MK as media partner for this year’s MK Dragon Boat Festival.

Crew Gazebos for hire

Priority positions will be given to Gold crews and those booking private catering (see separate forms).  

The gazebos will be delivered and erected for you before the event and taken away at the end and all come with your company name attached. We have managed to negotiate an excellent rate with our supplier and are providing them at cost plus a small administration fee.

Gazebos will be allocated on a first come, first served basis (max one gazebo per team entry) on receipt of the completed booking form below together with appropriate payment.

Please note, crews may bring their own gazebos (max 3m x 3m).

*Gold package includes a gazebo in the cost*

Booking Form

To purchase a gazebo if you haven't already included it in your online booking form you can download the MK Crew Gazebo Form 2025, fill in your details and send it to dragonboatevents@newwave-events.co.uk. 

All crews wishing to have private catering at the 2025 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival must book this through NewWave Events. It is not permitted for teams to bring their own commercial caterers to the event as this is against Parks Trust rules and there is not space in each team’s marked out 3m x 3m area for additional catering gazebos.

There is only a limited number of plots available for private catering so please book early to avoid disappointment. These plots can only be reserved on receipt of the booking form below together with your deposit. 

Food will be cooked at a nearby BBQ station by our professional caterers and will need to be collected at an agreed time. Priority position for pre-paid crew gazebos will be given to Gold crews and those booking private catering on a first come, first served basis. 

Download MK Private Catering Booking Form 2025 or book via our online booking form along with your entry.

Download MK Private Catering Menus and Drinks Packages 2025

Pre-book your alcoholic drinks with Bar Stop*

Eamon - 07977 090910 , admin@barstop.co.uk

*Due to Willen Lake’s no-alcohol policy, we can now only allow alcohol from the licensed bar. Please contact Bar Stop to pre book your alcoholic drinks in advance or simply buy on the day. Drinks will be served in plastic cups. Own alcohol is not permitted onsite, and you could be fined

A selection of food & drinks cash stalls will also be available on the day exclusively for the crews and their supporters

*Please note own BBQ's and alcohol are now NOT permitted on site*

Race Schedule 

Race schedule will be available 4th July 2025.

PDF Crew List

Crew list will be available once entries are open

We now have a new online version of the souvenir programme as well as printed Souvenir Programmes to help the environment and encourage sustainability. We also have LIVE RESULTS page for up-to-date race results on the day. The QR code will be given out on the day so it’s easily accessible by crews and spectators.

Advertise in the souvenir programme and promote your company’s services or products at Milton Keynes’ largest corporate team event

• Expected event audience 10,000 including over 700 from greater Milton Keynes’ businesses
• Online and printed flip book full colour page portrait publication
• Available free to all competitors, spectators, media and VIP's and accessible with a simple QR code

File formats

• Ideally we require a high resolution PDF file with image resolution 300dpi for photos or drawings with scaling no more than 120%
• Fonts should be embedded into the pdf or set to outline in your application
• Safe area - any text or important items should be 3-5mm inside the edge of your document

Booking Form

If you haven't already included it in your online booking form you can download MK Souvenir Programme Form 2025 fill in your details and send it to dragonboatevents@newwave-events.co.uk.

Crews comprise of up to 10 paddlers plus a drummer – squads may be larger (max 15 persons). Crews can be mixed, all female or all male and organisations may enter more than one crew. The minimum age is 16 and no previous experience is required. All crew members must be confident in cold water conditions, wearing light clothing and in moving water and compete entirely at their own risk. BDA qualified helms, buoyancy aids and water safety cover are provided by the organisers. All crews accepted for entry must abide with the competition rules and entry details on this website. Each crew is guaranteed a minimum of 3 races (subject to conditions).

The Crew Manager will receive a full Crew Managers Information Pack following email confirmation of payment for the event.

Food Stalls

Flypast

Attractions

Funfair

Face Painter

Magician

Between races there is plenty to see and do (and eat!) on the bank. You can find out more about the work of Brain Tumour Research and meet the team from MKFM. 

2023 Photos from the day

Photos from the day will be available to view and download for free in full-resolution after the Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival. Link to follow...

Please share them on your social media and tag NewWave Events and festival partners :) 

#miltonkeynesdragonboatfestival

*Please note, participants and spectators must acknowledge the fact this event is in the public arena and therefore by entering the venue, this may result in the recording of his/her image.

Our photographer for 2025 Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival is the award winning photographer Magdalena Sienicka. 

Address: Willen Lake, V10 Brickhill St, Milton Keynes MK15 0DS

Parking: Please visit Willen Lake The Parks Trust website for more details https://willenlake.org.uk/discover-willen-lake/plan-your-visit/car-parking/ 

WHAT DO WE NEED TO BRING ON THE DAY?
We recommend you bring a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated, sun cream in case of hot weather and a sun hat. We also suggest you bring a change of clothes too as you may get wet from splashes when paddling.

If you are the crew manager, please also bring your signed risk forms for your team.

Other than that you just need a bit of determination and team spirit!

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
On the day of the event we recommend you wear comfortable sports clothing and trainers or strap on shoes. Flip flops are strictly NOT allowed. 

Rain coats and/or hats and sunglasses may also be a good idea depending on the weather!

ARE PETS ALLOWED?
The event site is an open, public area so pets are allowed.