2024 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races gets going on Saturday

Fun and yum activities set up by HKTB, including food street and check-in spots on Avenue of Stars

The smell of fragrant rice dumplings waft through the air, the beatings of gongs and drums resound in thunderous clamor, and dragon boats compete and race. The two-day 2024 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, co-organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, officially kicks off on Saturday.

The HKTB is also organizing a series of events on both sides of Victoria Harbour, including a food street to be set up for the first time on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, with “LINE FRIENDS” character check-in slots and limited merchandise stores, providing locals and tourists with a one-stop mission to “eat, buy, and play.” On the other side of Tsim Sha Tsui East, there will also be exciting shows. Following last night’s drone performance, the HKTB will hold a maritime fireworks show on the Wan Chai waterfront on Saturday, pushing the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival and dragon boat races to the max.

The International Dragon Boat Races has entered the final countdown, with many teams undergoing special training in recent months and are ready for action. This year, 170 teams from 12 countries or regions will compete in 17 events over two consecutive days. The Hong Kong women’s team “Jian Fei Long,” which won second place in the International Women’s Gold Cup last year, trained three months in advance to prepare for this competition. Nine members of the team represented Hong Kong in the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in October last year, and they are now hoping to reach the final top three behind home-court advantage.

Team member Tam Tsz-wai pointed out the tenacity of this year’s teams, especially those from mainland China and Singapore. “For example the mainland team, we were eight seconds behind them last year, so we want to narrow the distance with them,” Tam said. In the past three months, 24 team members specifically boosted their physical fitness by training five to six days a week, including doing squats to improve the stability of sitting on the dragon boat and coping with the current in Victoria Harbour.

Members from different teams have been arriving in Hong Kong. For the Thai team that swept three championships last year, team leader Patchawat Kirdnak said this year’s goal is to defend their titles.

Many members of the Thai team are soldiers and have strong physiques. They have come to Hong Kong many times over the past 10 years to participate in the International Dragon Boat Races, and have become regulars in winning the top three spots. Patchawat said the biggest challenge in racing in Hong Kong is also the waves in Victoria Harbour.

“Hong Kong’s events are held at sea, with strong winds, and big waves, it is not easy to row a dragon boat well, but it stimulates our fighting spirit, to come here to win the competition.” In addition to the dragon boat racing, the team members also expressed that they like to travel to Hong Kong and enjoy the food.

Another international team is the Philippines women’s team. Leader Marcia Cristobal said that they have also conducted special training for about a month before the game. There are multiple new members on the team this time, and they hope to use the old guard to lead the new and boost their experience for a new generation of dragon boat racers.

A new “Summer Chill Food Lane” was set up near the venue. From last Saturday to the 16th, 10 local catering brands set up stalls on Avenue of Stars, bringing special snacks and drinks to spectators, locals, and tourists to match the festive atmosphere. The doughnut-selling shop Donut Demois launched a treat with salted egg flavor and bean paste with condensed milk flavor, inspired by the flavors of pork rice dumplings and alkaline rice dumplings. Shop owner Yiyan estimates there will be a busy flow of people during the event.

Several stalls specialize in frozen drinks and desserts, including the time-honored brand Yan Chim Kee, famous for its coconut ice cream; and the Hong Kong-style milk tea and ice cream brand “Shan Gong,” which has prepared a new flavor of lemon tea using raw sun-dried salt from local sauce gardens. Mr Chen, the manager of HoWong Brewing, a beverage shop that specializes in local handmade mead and soda, said the flow of people on the first day of the stall was more than he expected.

In addition, “LINE FRIENDS Hong Kong Summer Chill” has set up seven check-in hot spots on Avenue of Stars until July 1. Character installations such as Brown, Cony, Sally and Choco are designed as dragon boat athletes for locals and tourists to check-in. There is also a LINE FRIENDS pop-up store, which sells a variety of Hong Kong-style limited products, including popular T-shirts and plush doll keychains, as well as newly launched eco-friendly tableware sets, mobile phone cases, carry-on bags, and more.