Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races Returning in June with a Pyrotechnic Display & Drone Show to Enhance the Festivities and Visitor Experience
| Post Date: | 22 May 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA), the highly anticipated “Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races” will take place on 15 and 16 June (Sat & Sun). Get ready for electrifying races, as over 170 teams and 4,000 dragon boat athletes converge on the iconic Hong Kong skyline along the stunning Victoria Harbour to compete for glory! In addition to the action-packed races, locals and visitors are invited to explore the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui and capture memorable moments at time-limited photo spots, featuring newly designed LINE FRIENDS installations. Additionally, for the first time, there will be food and beverage stalls available, making it a chillaxing hangout with extended excitement from day to night. The HKTB will also present another pyrotechnic display and drone show with the Dragon Boat Festival theme on the evenings of 10 and 15 June, respectively, to further enhance the festivities in the city (see Appendix).
Mr Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director, said, “Hong Kong’s calendar is packed with a wave of international events. For this year’s “Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races”, locals and visitors can spend their daytime enjoying thrilling races on the event days. As night falls, an equally captivating experience awaits. The HKTB will continue to ride on different events and festivals to stage a drone show and pyrotechnic display in June, complemented with the food and beverage stalls, photo spots and a time-limited merchandise store along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, to create a more festive tourism ambience.”
Mr Arnold Chung, Chairman of the HKCDBA said, “We are excited to partner with the HKTB again to organise this annual mega gala for the dragon boat community. The HKCDBA has long strived to preserve the culture and tradition of dragon boat racing and actively drive the development of both local and international dragon boat racing. The Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races this year have attracted many strong teams from around the world, who will surely bring to Hong Kong a series of exciting races.”
As in previous years, the “Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races” have been recognised as a major sports event by the M mark accreditation of the Major Sports Events Committee (https://www.mevents.org.hk/en/index.php). Check out three highlights of this year’s event:
1. Global races with strong teams gathering in the city; a Fancy Dress Competition to add a touch of fun to the intense races This year’s “Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races” will take place at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade for two consecutive days, comprising 17 races, with over 170 teams from 12 countries and regions competing for prizes. This year’s participation surpasses that of last year, in terms of both the number of participating countries and regions, and the number of dragon boat teams. In addition to teams from the Mainland, Macao and Hong Kong, there will be teams from Singapore, Japan, the UAE, Thailand and many more countries and regions. (Please refer to factsheet for dragon boat team highlights)
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, “the PRC 75th Anniversary Celebration Trophy” race will be held on the second day of the event, which will include three races: the International Open Grand Championship, the International Mixed Grand Championship and the International Women’s Grand Championship. Teams are required to achieve certain results in other races on the first day to qualify for the Trophy races. Also returning are The Greater Bay Area Championship and the 18 Districts Trophy, complemented by the popular Fancy Dress Competition, which will continue to create a fun-filled ambience, with teams dressing up as different characters in the race. Live broadcasts of the semi-finals, finals and award ceremonies will be broadcast on RTHK TV32.
2. Elevating the event experience with new season-limited LINE FRIENDS photo spots and “Summer Chill Food Lane”
Together with the annual gala, the world-renowned LINE FRIENDS will present the “LINE FRIENDS Hong Kong Summer Chill” with various photo spots along the Avenue of Stars from 8 June to 1 July. Classic characters BROWN, CONY and SALLY will show up as dragon boat athletes with a summer travel vibe to hype up the festivities. Visitors may also check out the time-limited pop-up store for Hong Kong-only merchandise specially designed for the dragon boat gala and produced in collaboration with local brands. Don’t miss it!
Also on offer this year is the “Summer Chill Food Lane” on the Avenue of Stars from 8 to 16 June, offering holidaymakers cool refreshments to help brave the summer heat. Get a taste of creative drinks and bites, such as craft beer, bottled milk tea, cold brew coffee, coconut desserts and doughnuts. Don’t miss these summertime delicacies as you cheer on the dragon boat racers!
3. Enhancing the festive extravaganza with a pyrotechnic display and drone performance
To drum up excitement and spread the exhilarating vibe of the races, the HKTB will stage a festival-themed drone show on the Dragon Boat festival (10 June) and a pyrotechnic display on the first evening of the races (15 June), enhancing the festivities in the city and enriching the visitor experience of Hong Kong’s unique traditional festive appeal from day to night.
On the evenings of the drone show and pyrotechnic display, the HKTB will offer free ice cream to the public and visitors along the Wan Chai harbourfront before the performances. This sweet treat is meant to help the public and visitors beat the scorching summer heat. One ice cream each on first-come, first-served basis while stock lasts.
Appendix
HKTB Dragon Boat Festival events at a glance
Factsheet on Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races (a) Venue Map
(b) Dragon Boat Races The “Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races” will comprise 17 races this year, with over 170 teams from 12 countries and regions participating in the event, including the following highlighted teams:
PRC 75th Anniversary Celebration Trophy The Trophy comprises 3 races:
(c) Summer Chill Food Lane Ten summer-relieving food and beverage stalls will be open for business in the “Summer Chill Food Lane” at the Avenue of Stars from 8 to 16 June, offering locals and visitors cool refreshments and desserts from day to night (noon to 9:00pm)
Transportation Reminder: during the two-day event, Mainland visitors from 26 cities, including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Jiangmen, can travel to Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge by taking coaches arranged by the Chinese Tourism Group directly to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. There will be a total of 44 round trips daily. |
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