Esquire Philippines recently sent me to cover the 2026 Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. It officially ran on the weekend of June 27-28, 2026 at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

One of my top highlights was the Fancy Dress Competition, where 18 teams paraded and raced in playful costumes and colorful attire. Hilarity ensued as most teams went for the quirky, playful route—choosing to race as Minions, rice dumplings, mahjong tiles, pharaohs, Super Mario characters, and even Baywatch babes.

The Southeast Asian paddlers—Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia—went the traditional route with their attires. The Philippines, represented by Alliance of Masters, paid tribute to Filipino culture with Barong Tagalog tops for the men and baro’t saya for the women.

Unfortunately, the action-packed races went by so speedily that I wasn’t able to match every costume with the teams they represented, and neither were my fellow journalists covering that weekend. But I did get to label most of them. Check out some of my favorites, and then scroll and tell me which one’s yours.

Hong Kong Maxim’s team won first place in the Fancy Dress Competition race, while the Hong Kong Yanbu Dragon Boat Sports Association and the MTR Dragon Boat team placed second and third, respectively.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, the highlight of the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival, an annual summer event that draws athletes and tourists from around the world to Hong Kong. It was organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and co-organized by the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA).

See my full coverage of the event here. Watch the reel here.

Photos courtesy of Hong Kong Tourism Board. Additional photos by Kate Alvarez.