Name: Dragon Boat Indoor Cup Berlin 2026
Start: 2026-01-24T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-24T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE)

Dragon Boat Indoor Cup

About Dragon Boat Indoor Cup

In January, one of Berlin's most unusual sporting events takes place in the Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark: the Dragon Boat Indoor Cup. 34 teams compete in a 50-meter swimming pool, with a Fun Cup for Berlin hobby teams and a Nations Cup featuring national teams from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia. Organised by Berliner Bäder-Betriebe – free admission for spectators.

Dates 24 Jan — 24 Jan 2026

Venue Berlin (11000)

Prices Free

Status —

Edition 2026

Dragon Boat Indoor Cup — edition 2026

The 2026 Dragon Boat Indoor Cup is planned as a recurring event in the Berliner Bäder-Betriebe's calendar. The exact date (typically a Saturday at the end of January) will be announced in late autumn 2025. As in previous years: Fun Cup with Berlin hobby teams and Nations Cup with teams from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia. Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark. Free admission for spectators.

The 2026 edition will follow the established format. 34+ teams in two competition categories, parallel races on four lanes in the 50-meter pool, a full day of competition with group, semi-final, and final races. Specific registrations and dates will be communicated by Berliner Bäder-Betriebe via the event page.

For spectators: free admission, best views from the main grandstand, good acoustics due to the hall's roof. There is enough time between races for refreshments at the kiosk. Teams wishing to participate must register through the official channels of Berliner Bäder-Betriebe – places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Highlights Dragon Boat Indoor Cup 2026

Indoor dragon boat racing with four parallel lanes in a 50-meter pool; Nations Cup featuring six European national teams; 34+ teams; free admission for spectators.

Programme Dragon Boat Indoor Cup 2026

Competition Schedule (based on experience)

Morning — Team arrivals, technical checks, first group races
Midday to Afternoon — Group races for Fun Cup and Nations Cup in parallel
Late Afternoon — Semi-finals
Evening — Fun Cup Finals and Nations Cup Finals, followed by award ceremony

Participating Teams (typical lineup)

Fun Cup — Berlin hobby teams: company teams, club crews, mixed crews
Nations Cup — National teams from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Slovakia
34+ teams in total, divided into five groups of seven teams each

Specific date, schedule, and participant list for 2026 at berlinerbaeder.de/drachenboot-indoor-cup.

Prices Dragon Boat Indoor Cup 2026

Free admission for spectators. Registration fee for teams via Berliner Bäder-Betriebe (contact via berlinerbaeder.de). Refreshments available at the hall's kiosk.

Practical information

Practical information — Dragon Boat Indoor Cup

Getting There

S-Bahn lines S8/S41/S42/S85 to S Landsberger Allee, then a five-minute walk to the SSE. Tram lines M5, M6, M8 to Landsberger Allee. Bus 156 nearby.

Admission

Free admission for spectators. Active teams must register via Berliner Bäder-Betriebe.

Note on Date 2026

The exact date for 2026 will generally be announced by Berliner Bäder-Betriebe in late autumn (usually a Saturday at the end of January). Updates on berlinerbaeder.de.

Indoor Dragon Boats – A Berlin Winter Sport Format

Dragon boat racing is traditionally a summer water sport in Germany: long boats, 20 paddlers, a drummer at the bow, racing on lakes or river sections. What the Berliner Bäder-Betriebe organises in the Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE) is different: 50-meter boats in a 50-meter swimming pool, four boats side-by-side, indoor conditions, competitions in January. It's a unique Berlin format – and one of the largest indoor dragon boat competitions worldwide.

Fun Cup and Nations Cup

The competition is divided into two parts. In the Fun Cup, Berlin hobby teams compete against each other – company teams, club teams, occasionally mixed crews. In the Nations Cup, national teams from Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia compete. In 2025, 34 teams were registered, competing in five groups of seven teams each. This makes the event the most densely packed indoor dragon boat day in Central Europe.

The Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark

The venue is the SSE in Paul-Heyse-Straße in the Prenzlauer Berg district (Pankow borough) – one of Berlin's most spectacular swimming halls, opened in 2002 as a multi-purpose venue for the World Athletics Championships. The hall regularly hosts competitions (German Swimming Championships, diving, synchronised swimming) and, with its 50-meter pool and grandstand, offers precisely the infrastructure needed for an indoor dragon boat cup.

Free Admission for Spectators

Admission is free for spectators. Anyone who wants to see what it looks like – the boats are launched right in front of the audience in the stands, four crews paddle in parallel, water splashes into the first rows – can do so without prior registration. The date for 2026 will generally be announced by Berliner Bäder-Betriebe in the autumn of the previous year; in 2025, the cup took place on Saturday, January 25th. A date in January is expected for 2026.