Dragon boat races bring festive spirit to HK on Dragon Boat Festival

Hong Kong celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival with vibrant dragon boat races across multiple districts on Saturday, including the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships, which attracted around 200 teams and 5,000 participants from around the world.

Following the rhythmic beat of drums, paddlers sliced through the water in unison along the 270-meter course, creating a thrilling spectacle of splashes and fierce yet friendly competition.

The Stanley event featured 51 races held every nine minutes, with teams having trained for months to perfect their performance. Josephine, a determined competitor, mentioned that her team had practiced two hours every Saturday for five months in hopes of improving their performance this year. 

Another participant, surnamed Lau, expressed confidence in their preparation, noting that they had taken over 10 training sessions and were optimistic about their chances of winning.

Onshore, the atmosphere was festive as spectators cheered enthusiastically, with families enjoying the day. Lau, a former paddler, shared that he brought his daughter to the event to help her learn about the dragon boat culture, which she had just been introduced to in kindergarten, hoping she would carry on the tradition.

Races will run from 9am to 5pm, with additional competitions held in Aberdeen, Tai Po, and along Sha Tin’s Shing Mun River, making it a day of unity, tradition, and high-energy excitement across the city.