ORGANISERS of the Bradford Dragonboat Festival have hailed this year’s event a success as its youth race day has almost sold out.

The event, held on a 200-metre course on the river at Roberts Park, Saltaire, will take place over three days for the first time this year, between Friday, May 5, and Sunday, May 7.

The youth competition will get the festival under way on the Friday, between 9.30am and 2.30pm, with teams of youngsters aged 11 to 19 taking to the water.

Organisers say there are just four team spaces out of 18 left for the race, with 17 youngsters on each team taking part in two races.

Schools and youth teams to sign up already include Bradford Grammar School, the Pakistan Consulate, Beckfoot Thornton School and 2015 winner Appleton Academy, who train at Doe Park Water Activities Centre, Foster Park View, Denholme.

Razwana Mahmood, team liaison for the event, said: “We have only had the applications for the youth championships open for a week and they have nearly sold out.

“The interest is fantastic. The Bradford event will be the first time in the UK that a youth-specific dragonboat race has been done.

“There is a great buzz about the dragonboat festival in general from people this year.”

Companies have also been urged to sign up for a corporate team building event on the Sunday.

The youth event, which is also open to disabled competitors aged between 11 and 25, kicks off the event which will be followed by a sold-out main festival day on the Saturday, with 45 competing teams, each featuring 16 paddlers and one drummer, taking part in two rounds of heats.

They will be racing against the clock, with the three fastest teams battling it out for the title in the day’s final. Crowds will be treated to entertainment including music during the event.

Participants on the first two days will be encouraged to raise funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, which this year is children and young people’s mental health charity Young Minds.

Saturday’s races will also be shown live on big screens in both Roberts Park and City Park.

A corporate day will take place on the Sunday, with teams paying £2,000, with half of the money going to a charity of their choice and £500 for team registration and the rest for other costs.

Teams and volunteers can sign up for the youth and corporate team building days at bradforddragonboatfestival.co.uk