Dragon Boat Festival Causes Parking, Traffic Headaches, Say West Denver Residents

DENVER (CBS4) - The popular Dragon Boat Festival at Sloan's Lake in west Denver attracted tens of thousands attendees on Saturday, a large event not without the accompanying parking hassles.

Some neighbors and business owners in the West Highland and Sloan's Lake neighborhoods blamed the festival for non-stop traffic and parking nightmares.

Neighbor Rusty Caldwell, who said he wasn't visiting the festival, said his car was towed after he couldn't find parking and opted to stop quickly in an unauthorized spot to pick up donuts.

"(The tow company) saw their opportunity for money and they picked (up my car) and drove off with it," Caldwell said.

Some attendees used a $5 shuttle service from nearby Sports Authority Field at Mile High to avoid the parking problems.

"We used the shuttle down at the Mile High Stadium," Mary Ann Sims said, "and they had a number of buses. (It) will be just as easy to get back."

The festival celebrates Asian culture and heritage. Organizers anticipated roughly 125,000 attendees over the two-day event this weekend.