At the heart of the campaign is the upgraded “Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival”, marking the 50th anniversary of Hong Kong’s iconic dragon boat racing tradition. Organised by the HKTB, co-organised by the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, and title-sponsored by Sun Life, the festival will debut at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and run in an expanded format as part of a 13-day celebration from June 19 to July 1.
The flagship dragon boat event, the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, will take place on June 27 and 28 at Victoria Harbour. This year’s competition will feature more than 220 teams from 16 countries and regions, including participants from the Chinese Mainland, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Qatar, and Indonesia. More than 4,500 athletes will compete across 21 races, marking a significant expansion in both scale and international participation.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary, the festival introduces the “Fishermen Invitational Cup”, featuring six local fishermen teams from Aberdeen and Chai Wan competing in traditional wooden dragon boats, preserving the heritage origins of the sport first established in 1976 at Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter. A new “50th Anniversary Championship” will also be staged, bringing together champions from nine major categories to compete for the title of “Ultimate Dragon Boat Champion”.
The Tsim Sha Tsui promenade festival zone will be extended into a 13-day cultural and entertainment hub, featuring a Dragon Boat Food Lane at the Avenue of Stars, alongside themed installations including a 22-metre traditional wooden dragon boat, a Sun Life Hong Kong Dragon Boat Co-Creation Zone, a collaboration installation with “Minions & Monsters”, and a giant Coca-Cola bottle dragon boat-themed photo attraction.
A wide cultural programme will accompany the event, including intangible cultural heritage workshops such as fishing net plaiting, blown sugar making, and lye rice dumpling preparation. Visitors will also experience virtual reality dragon boat racing. Weekend and public holiday performances will showcase Wing Chun, diabolo, ruan, and guzheng performances, while evening live music programmes will enhance the atmosphere. A dedicated live broadcast viewing zone will allow spectators to follow the harbour races in real time.
The HKTB Chairman Dr Peter Lam stated that the summer season represents a key travel period, and the initiative aims to leverage mega events to attract more visitors and stimulate spending through extensive partnerships and promotional offers across attractions, dining, transport, and retail sectors.
The campaign includes support from 14 sponsors and collaboration with the Tsim Sha Tsui East Property Developers Association, involving more than 30 retail and hospitality outlets offering integrated hotel, dining, and shopping promotions.
A major tourism incentive programme will also be launched in collaboration with Trip.com Group, offering promotional packages valued at over HKD 20 million. Between June 15 and August 31, visitors booking hotels for stays between July 1 and September 14 with a minimum spend of HKD 1,500 will receive double rewards, including attraction tickets and transport discounts of up to 50 percent. Participating attractions include the Peak Tram, major theme parks, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, Noah’s Ark, Airport Express services, and bus day passes. Each redemption is valid for two weeks and limited to one per account on a first-come, first-served basis.
From July 1 to August 31, additional citywide spending incentives will be introduced through AlipayHK, Alipay, and Alipay+, allowing visitors to scan QR codes at nearly 100 shopping destinations, including Central Market, Hysan Place, ifc mall, Hong Kong International Airport, K11, Mira Place, New Town Plaza, Olympian City, Peak Galleria, SOGO, Stanley Plaza, Times Square, and Windsor House. Participants may receive random rewards of up to HKD 500 or RMB 500, redeemable across participating merchants.
Further collaborations with the Quality Tourism Services Association and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association will introduce additional citywide discounts of up to 50 percent across retail and dining outlets.
The “Hong Kong Summer Fun” programme also integrates a wide range of cultural, sports, and entertainment events, including Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Month, the Chinese Culture Festival, the Hong Kong Football Festival, the Football Summit, the Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong, the Fencing World Championships 2026 Hong Kong, the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, and Hong Kong Reunification Raceday.
The HKTB has consolidated all events and offers under a unified summer platform to streamline visitor planning and enhance accessibility to Hong Kong’s summer tourism experience.
In conclusion, “Hong Kong Summer Fun” represents a large-scale coordinated effort to merge heritage, sport, entertainment, and commerce into a single tourism-driven ecosystem, reinforcing Hong Kong’s positioning as a premier international events capital during the 2026 summer season.
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