If there’s one thing you have to do in Hong Kong once summertime rolls in, it has to be experiencing the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival, where you can watch the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races!
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this 2026, the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races—organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, co-organised by the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, and title-sponsored by Sun Life—kicked off on Victoria Harbour last June 27, gathering top dragon boat athletes from around the world, including the Philippines.
Photo c/o Hong Kong Tourism Board
More than 220 teams and over 4,500 paddlers from 16 countries and regions participated in 21 races over the course of two days, with a racing distance of 500 meters. The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) and the Alliance of Masters Dragonboat Club flew the Philippine flag high in this international competition as they made their mark on their competitors and the audience. The PDBF Women’s Elite team clinched their third-straight podium finish with a silver medal in the International Women’s Championship and ranked second overall for the first and second round of races on Day 1. Meanwhile, first-time Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Race attendee Alliance of Masters made it to the third round of preliminaries and ranked third in the semifinals. Despite finishing ninth in the finals, they managed to take home second place in the International Mixed Silver Cup.
Photo c/o Hong Kong Tourism Board
Photo c/o Hong Kong Tourism Board
Other than the formal races, what festival goers looked forward to the most is the Fancy Dress Competition where participating teams wore fun and creative attire to showcase their humor and team spirit. The Alliance of Masters joined this friendly competition, donning Barong Tagalog and Baro’t Saya tops, as well as straw hats with the Philippine flag painted on it. Other teams showed up as mahjong tiles, Super Mario Bros. characters, Japanese rice balls, and Minions.
Photo c/o Hong Kong Tourism Board
Visitors also got to enjoy harbourside entertainment at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade throughout the 13-day festival, including a Dragon Boat Food Lane, a Beer Garden, Cultural Heritage Workshops, a VR Dragon Boat experience, and a variety of photo spots.
The Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival ran from June 19 to July 1 and drew in thousands of spectators, proving that this annual sporting competition remains to be one of the most vibrant and exhilarating highlights of Summer in Hong Kong.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: Kathryn Bernardo Becomes the Youngest Filipino to Have a Wax Figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong)
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