Drone, firework shows set to help Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races go with a bang
- Competition will take place on June 15 and 16 in Tsim Sha Tsui East with over 170 teams joining
- Event is expected to draw at least 130,000 tourists and locals
Crowds watching the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races next month will be entertained with drone and pyrotechnic shows for the first time as one of 210 mega events in the city this year, with the competition expected to attract at least 130,000 locals and tourists.
The HK$17 million competition, jointly organised by the Tourism Board and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, will take place on June 15 and 16 in Victoria Harbour at the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade with more than 4,000 competitors in over 170 teams from 12 countries or regions – up from 10 last year.
“The entire event is expected to draw at least 130,000 tourists and locals. We see that as a very good figure, but of course, it will be dependent on the actual situation such as weather,” board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said on Wednesday, without giving an estimate of the economic benefits of the events.
Cheng said different fringe elements would be organised in conjunction with the races including a drone performance, a pyrotechnics show, food stalls, and photo spots to encourage participation and “elevate the overall atmosphere of the competition and the Dragon Boat Festival itself”.
The drone show, scheduled for June 10, and pyrotechnic displays on June 15 are not included in the HK$17 million budget for the dragon boat races and related events.
With Hong Kong set to host “one mega event every two days” in the latter half of the year – including artistic and creative activities, sports competitions, large-scale conferences, trade exhibitions and financial summits – in a bid to promote a “mega-event economy”, Cheng said the abundance of the events was what the city needed.
