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Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival
In Hong Kong, a celebration of an ancient Chinese festival has become one of the world’s great parties – the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival. And every year, boats, beers and cheers draw hundreds of thousands of spectators and revellers to stunning Victoria Harbour to experience it.
Check out what happened at the 2012 event!
2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival
The 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival was as colourful and boisterous as ever, with around 400,000 spectators and over 5,000 athletes representing some 300 clubs and 21 countries. The week-long event included the legendary Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races and the prestigious Lee Kum Kee 8th IDBF Club Crew World Championships. It’s not only the serious sporting action that drew the crowds, but also the carnival atmosphere and the food, beers and tunes at the San Miguel BeerFest.
Details of the 2013 event will be up in due course. Rest assured it will be every bit as good, so be ready to get yourself to the waterfront and in the middle of the fun!
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Lee Kum Kee 8th IDBF Club Crew World Championships
Around 4,700 athletes converged on Victoria Harbour for the 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, with one goal in mind -- winning the prestigious Lee Kum Kee 8th IDBF Club Crew World Championships.
Second in prestige only to the world championship, the event brought the cream of dragon boat racing – about 180 of the world’s top clubs – together in one competition spread over five days.
For the spectators, it was a chance to see the finest crews of this colourful sport around the world battle it out in the breathtaking scenery of Victoria Harbour.
| DIVISIONS | RACING CLASSES | ||
| Open | Women's | Mixed | |
| Premier (No age restrictions) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| Senior A (Aged 40 or over) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| Senior B (Aged 50 or over) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| 18-23 (Aged 18 - 23) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| Junior A Aged under 18) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| Junior B (Aged under 16) |
200m, 500m and 2000m | ||
| Combined Races | Breast Cancer Survivor Crews (BCS), All Cancer Survivor Crews (ACS) and Paradragons (Adaptive Paddler Crews) will race in this division over 200m and 500m | ||
Crews for the Lee Kum Kee 8th IDBF Club Crew World Championships >>
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Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races
It all started 36 years ago when Hong Kong fisherman organised an international dragon boat race (there was one foreign team – from Japan) off Shau Kei Wan. None of the participants could have known that this humble event would go on to spark an explosion of worldwide interest in dragon boat racing and transform this ancient Chinese folk ritual into a modern international sport.
2012 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races
As part of the 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, over 3,000 athletes from 12 countries participated in the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races and, to the beat of drums and the roar of the crowds, battled it out in the waters of Victoria Harbour with the stunning city skyline as the backdrop.
Whether you are a dragon boat nut or don’t know a reach and catch from a pull, this legendary race will take your breath away. (What else would you expect from the home of modern dragon boat racing?)
Stay tuned for details of next year’s event!
| International Dragon Boat Races | |
| Paddlers from Hong Kong and around the world will vie for victory in three international championships: | |
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| Local Dragon Boat Races | |
| Local teams representing the financial services, commercial corporations, professional bodies, and disciplinary forces will take part in the following races: | |
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2012 San Miguel BeerFest
The San Miguel BeerFest is where spectators went to wind down from all the adrenaline of watching the races in the 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival.
Right next to all the racing action, the party sponsored by San Miguel -- one of Hong Kong’s favourite beers -- was a three-day carnival where dragon boat athletes and spectators mingled to live music by some of the best-loved bands and singers in the region, tasty treats and jugs of refreshing San Miguel beer.
The carnival always serves revellers entertainment, food and drink with their dragon boat action. Check back in to see what will be on offer next year!
San Miguel BeerFest Highlights
 San Miguel Beer Drinking Competition Put the real skills you learned in college to good use and win some cool prizes. |
 Live Band Show Let some of Asia’s popular bands and singers put you in a party mood. |
 DJ Music Playing The party goes on all day as you groove to the music and enjoy the sun, cool sea breezes and the starry nights! |
 Cosplay Party Pose with your favourite characters or join in the fun with your favourite costume and props! |
 Beer and food booths Enjoy fantastic snacks and beer from San Miguel beer and food booths |
About Traditional Dragon Boat Festival Today, festival activities recall this legendary event. People eat rice-and-meat dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves; and many look forward to swimming or even simply dipping their hands in the water. |
Local Dragon Boat races Participants train in earnest for the competition. Sitting two abreast, with a steersman at the back and a drummer at the front, the paddlers race to reach the finishing line, urged on by the pounding drums and the roar of the crowds. |
Tai O Dragon Boat Water Parade On the morning before the Dragon Boat Festival, members of the associations row their dragon boats to visit four temples, Yeung Hau, San Tsuen Tin Hau, Kwan Tai and Hung Shing, and carry the deity statues to their associations' hall for worship. On the day of the Festival, the deity statues are put on sacred sampans towed by the dragon boats of the associations to parade through Tai O waters and to pacify the wandering water ghosts. Residents of the stilt houses along the water-courses burn paper offerings as the dragon boats pass by. The deity statues are then returned to the respective temples after the ritual. Visiting Tai O on Tuen Ng Festival is an excellent timing to see the stilt house and waterways of this old fishing village for which this old fishing village famed for. |
This ancient event, also known as Tuen Ng Festival, commemorates the death of a popular Chinese national hero, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Mi Lo River over 2,000 years ago to protest against the corrupt rulers. Legend has it that as townspeople attempted to rescue Qu Yuan, they beat drums to scare fish away and threw dumplings into the sea to keep the fish from eating his body.
The real highlight of the festival is the fierce-looking dragon boats racing in a lively, vibrant spectacle. Teams race the elaborately decorated dragon boats to the beat of heavy drums. The special boats, which measure more than 10 metres, have ornately carved and painted "dragon" heads and tails, and each carries a crew of 20-22 paddlers.
During the annual Dragon Boat Festival, three fishermen associations in Tai O, the tranquil fishing village in west Lantau, organise a religious activity known as a "Deities Parade".
