Hong Kong is celebrating this year’s Dragon Boat Festival – which forms a long weekend from Friday to Sunday – with breathtaking racing and tourism offerings for locals and visitors.
In Aberdeen Harbour, the nearly kilometer-long promenade was already thrumming with festive crowds by mid-morning on Friday, the Dragon Boat Festival, which is a traditional Chinese holiday that commemorates celebrated poet Qu Yuan.
The clear weather and holiday vibe dispelled the gloom brought by Thursday’s downpour, which forced the city to issue the black rainstorm warning — the highest tier — twice on the same day.
People watched the dragon boat races in Aberdeen, as at least six other district races unfolded also on the day in Stanley, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Sai Kung, Tuen Mun, and Tai O.
Along the Aberdeen promenade, by 9 am – 30 minutes ahead of the races’ start – spectators had already secured the most coveted viewing spots, lining the railings, while paddlers in a rainbow of jerseys could be seen stretching in the shade, sharing back-slaps and words of encouragement as race time drew near.
Among the spectators, Lorna, who moved to Hong Kong from Britain seven years ago and now has a two-year-old daughter, said she enjoys rotating her cultural calendar each year to explore different facets of the city’s cultural heritage, and this year’s choice – the dragon boat races – came after her toddler learned about the festival at school earlier this week.
IN PICTURES: Festive splashes
“She asked last night if she could come here and see the racing (in action), and hear the drum roll,” said Lorna.
Lorna’s daughter brought home a dragon boat craft from school that the family has been playing with ever since. They have also made zongzi – sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, a representative food of the Dragon Boat Festival.
This year’s Aberdeen race featured 49 teams competing in 33 races and boasted the highest number of “large-size dragon boats”, vessels paddled by more than 40 people, among the local racing events.
One paddler, Willy Buckland – a New Zealander who has lived in Hong Kong for 12 years and races with the Hong Kong-based Buzz Dragon team in the mixed-gender medium-size boat category – was alongside teammates hailing from across the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Buckland said the team would do its best. “The main thing is to enjoy the culture, enjoy the atmosphere,” he added.
“At first, I just thought it (dragon boat racing) was a very Hong Kong thing to do. And now, I love it. The thing I like most about dragon boat is that it’s a team sport; one person doesn’t win it or lose it. You must work as a team. You can make a lot of friends and build a sense of community along the way.”
The dragon boat carnival lures participants of all ages. Fung Kwong-ho, in his 60s, is a member of the Challenge Club Hong Kong.
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With his team’s average age now surpassing 50, Fung said he hoped that his club and others would step up proactive engagement with schools across all educational levels to cultivate a fresh cohort of enthusiasts.
“I myself, regardless, will try to keep racing into my 70s,” Fung said.
Fung and his teammates will later gather for a celebratory dinner on the Ap Lei Chau island, just across the water from Aberdeen Harbour. Many of his fellow paddlers once lived in the district but have since moved away, which has made the annual race a cherished reunion.
Fung said he was pleased to see so many visitors in Aberdeen and expected local shops and restaurants to benefit from the influx. “I hope they will take the opportunity to explore the neighborhood after the races”, he added.
Fung also revealed he plans a day trip across the border to Shenzhen during the break. “Many young people in Hong Kong are into cross-border travel during mini-breaks now, so I want to keep up with the trend too,” he said.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in both Macao and the Chinese mainland. Officials predicted a substantial uptick in cross-border travel during the three-day break.
Shenzhen’s border authorities projected an average of 1.05 million daily crossings over the holiday period, with Friday tipped to be the peak, reaching an estimated 1.08 million trips.
The five major border stations between Shenzhen and Hong Kong – Luohu/Lo Wu, Futian/Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Shenzhen Bay, West Kowloon Station, and Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai – are expected to handle 260,000, 240,000, 200,000, 130,000, and 110,000 daily crossings, respectively.
Friday also kicks off a 13-day HKSAR government-backed summer extravaganza at Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars, celebrating the 50th anniversary of international dragon boat racing.
The event debuted with a Dragon Boat Food Lane and offers interactive diversions, including a virtual reality rowing competition, sponsored by China Daily, that allows users to experience dragon-boat paddling, alongside thematically designated photo spots.
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Its marquee attraction – the 2026 Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, set for June 27 and 28 – is expected to draw more than 220 teams representing 16 countries and regions.
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com