The Dragon Boat Festival is one of our favourite traditional festivals celebrated in Hong Kong. Aside from getting some carb-action with a variety of rice dumplings and watching dragon boat races, how much do you know about this holiday? From its origin and customs to festivities that take place all across the city, our handy guide will take you through everything there is to know about celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong.
RECOMMENDED:
🐲 10 Things you might not know about the Dragon Boat Festival
🍽️ Hong Kong's top Cantonese restaurants
This year’s Dragon Boat Festival is falling on June 19, giving us a blissful three-day long weekend perfect for catching the races. It’s particularly special this year, as Hong Kong celebrates the 50th anniversary of its international dragon boat racing tradition. To mark this massive milestone, the usual race weekend will be expanded into a 13-day citywide celebration running from June 19 to July 1.
The main event is, of course, the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, where more than 220 teams from 16 countries and regions will gather to battle it out across Victoria Harbour along Tsim Sha Tsui East on June 27 and 28. To honour the golden anniversary, two exclusive races are being introduced: the 50th Anniversary Fisherman Invitational Cup, featuring local fishermen racing in traditional wooden boats, and the 50th Anniversary Championship, where division champions go head-to-head for the title of ‘Ultimate Dragon Boat Champion’. Spectators can catch the action for free from 8am to 6.15pm on Saturday and 8am to 5pm on Sunday.
Away from the splashing water, the party continues along the Avenue of Stars at the Dragon Boat Food Lane and the Beer Garden (both open from 1pm to 10pm throughout the entire 13 days), where visitors can savour festive bites, grab a cold beer, and enjoy a series of live performances up on stage.
Also sitting by the waterfront will be a 22-metre-long traditional wooden dragon boat, an interactive AI-powered co-creation zone by Sun Life, a giant Coca-Cola installation, and a Minion-themed photo spot. Right next door at Salisbury Garden, visitors can check out the Chill Zone and get hands-on at cultural workshops like rice dumpling making and fishnet plaiting, or test their stamina on a VR dragon boat paddling simulator while catching live broadcasts of the races and stage performances.
Those visiting from overseas will also get some exclusive freebies on June 27 and 28. By presenting valid travel documents at designated visitor centres or on-site stands, tourists can redeem a voucher for a free pint of draught beer by the harbour, grab a refreshing complimentary ice lolly, or take home a limited-edition festive rice dumpling plush keychain. Adding to the festive neighbourhood spirit, a lineup of exclusive deals will be offered across various shopping and dining merchants in Tsim Sha Tsui East from June 19 to July 1.
There'll also be other races happening in different parts of the city on June 19, including:
- Stanley Main Beach (8am-5pm)
- Shing Mun River, Sha Tin (8am-1pm)
- Tai Po Waterfront Park promenade (8.30am-3.30pm; carnival 9am-4pm)
- Sai Kung Waterfront Promenade (8am-2.30pm)
Also known as ‘Tuen Ng Festival’ in Cantonese, the Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (usually late May or early June). It is a public holiday in Hong Kong, where people gather to honour the life and legacy of the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan.
There are a few legends as to how the Dragon Boat Festival came to be and why it’s celebrated. But the most famous one of all is the story of Qu Yuan. A patriotic poet of the Chu State during the Zhou Dynasty, Qu Yuan was exiled from Chu after opposing to form a political alliance with the state of Qin, which was believed to be corrupt. When the state of Chu eventually fell, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River out of despair on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Upon learning of Qu's death, villagers raced out in boats with paddles and beating drums and threw rice dumplings into the water in an attempt to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body – thus, the custom of eating rice dumplings and dragon boat racing was born.
In Hong Kong, dragon boat racing is the most popular activity during the Dragon Boat Festival (I mean, the clue is in the name). Dating back thousands of years in history, dragon boat racing sees teams comprised of paddlers, a drummer, and a steersperson racing against each other in long, narrow boats. This exciting activity is not just a popular sport in Hong Kong, but also around the world with competitions held in countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, Australia, and more.
It wouldn’t be a true holiday without some festive eats. Eating zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, is a significant custom for the Dragon Boat Festival. Wrapped with bamboo leaves, zongzi are made with glutinous rice stuffed with sweet – usually lotus seed or red bean paste – or savoury fillings such as pork belly, conpoy, beans, and salted egg yolks. Simply steam or boil them and serve with soy sauce or white sugar to enjoy.
In ancient times, it was believed that balancing an egg on its tip would bring good luck. Folks also thought that the best time to attempt this feat was at noon during the Dragon Boat Festival, which later studies suggest that it was due to the strong gravitational pull between the sun and the earth during this time. Whether this is true or not is a question for another day, but it's simply something fun that everyone can get involved – so make sure you fill up that egg tray!
Discover Time Out original video
