NORTH BEACH, Md. — Community, camaraderie and the cause were top of mind for the participants of the 2025 End Hunger Dragon Boat Festival.
Now in its 13th year, the festival brings together local businesses and organizations to compete and raise money for the End Hunger organization, a nonprofit that works to provide resources and services to the 35,000 food-insecure people in Southern Maryland.
Participants came for the food, fun and, of course, to win. Each dragon boat was equipped with teams of 16 rowers and one drummer, and raced in a short sprint across the bay in hopes of winning one of the races of the day.
Teams took part in themed cups throughout the day, with Skipjack CrossFit taking the Fitness Cup and Lyon Roof and Restoration sealing a victory in the Community Cup. Chesapeake Beach beat out North Beach for the Mayor’s Cup.
But the ultimate champion was American Chestnut Land Trust, a local conservation and preservation nonprofit — and arguably, an underdog to win the big trophy.
Autumn Phillips, ACLT team captain and the organization’s land manager, said that the group enjoyed a great day being outside and on the water, and of course, winning. “It’s always great to hang out with these people,” Phillips said about her team. “We’re so glad we could support this cause in the community.”
This was ACLT’s first year participating, and Phillips said she’d love to repeat the event. In the meantime, she encouraged Southern Marylanders to check out the 26 miles of trails in the Prince Frederick area that the ACLT maintains.
The event brought fun and camaraderie to longtime participants, too. Leo Almony, owner and team captain of Lion Restoration in Huntingtown, has been taking part in the event since it started in 2012.
“It’s a great day for a good cause and a good community,” Almony said, and added that their team, a new local business, had plenty of support from friends, family and their church. The team ribbed each other and talked about their hopes of beating the Skipjack CrossFit team. “We’re ready to feel the wind on our backs,” he added.
All final results will be on the official website in the next few days, and you can view the full event livestream here.
And if you missed it, you can start planning for the 2026 event — attend and enjoy the races, food trucks and merch (including adorable knitted dragon plushes). Or, you can form a team.
“We’d love to come back next year,” Phillips said, all smiles, as her team prepared to step onto the podium.
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