A carnival will kick off this year’s Dragon Boat Festival celebrations, setting the stage for the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races on June 7 and 8.

Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association, the event will transform Tsim Sha Tsui East promenade into a day-and-night dragon boat carnival, featuring festival-inspired foods and drinks, panda-themed photo spots, a beer garden and acrobatic performances.

Concluding the festivities will be the dragon boat races that will see approximately 4,500 athletes from 12 countries and regions compete this year on Victoria Harbour.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Wednesday, association chairman Arnold Chung said that Egypt and Qatar will be making their debut.

"From our understanding, they have just started developing dragon boat racing as a sport, so they have been preparing for this competition for a few years now," he said.

"This is their first time competing in Hong Kong, and we are very excited.

"We hope that Hong Kong can become a hub for dragon boat development, and that we can support more countries that have yet to develop in this sport.

"We look forward to them having those athletes come to Hong Kong for competitions."

Chung also said that a new category, the Secondary Schools Championship, has been added to include young people in the sport.

"What makes this year special is that we have about 30 secondary schools participating," he said.

"It's important to give students the opportunity to join international competitions, allowing them to see how successful such events can be and how much pride there is in representing their schools.

"We hope to nurture the next generation of dragon boat racers and preserve the cultural traditions of the sport."