July 1, 2026 | Return to Horse Racing Day Draws 27,000 Visitors; Passenger Volume Hits a Record High; More Than 2,000 Drones in Hung Hom Form “Shenzhou” Astronauts to Celebrate July 1

Coinciding with July 1st, the Sha Tin Racecourse today also held "horses still racing" to celebrate the return, attracting over 27k attendees throughout the day, of which nearly 9,300 were tourists, an increase of 36% from last year, also setting a new record for the Return Day race meeting. Meanwhile, the total betting turnover for the 11 races of the day was nearly HK$1.65 billion.

Tourist Ms. Yang from Zhejiang said the racecourse is not only full of "Hong Kong flavor" but also has many digital entertainment facilities, and her 3-day itinerary in Hong Kong would cost nearly HK$20k. Additionally, a German company came for a "team-building" event. Mr. Zhu, the general manager of the Shanghai branch of a German tire company, said he came with nearly 30 colleagues and was visiting a racecourse for the first time, praising the racecourse's operating model as worth learning from.

Drone Displays Multiple "Hong Kong Flavor" Patterns

Also tonight at the newly developed waterfront in Hung Hom, there was a large-scale drone light show, with over 2,000 drones forming patterns in the sky such as the giant Golden Bauhinia, the Tsing Ma Bridge, and the Shenzhou-23 taikonaut, as well as arranging slogans like "One Country, Two Systems, Steadfast and Enduring." The 15-minute show attracted many citizens and tourists, including families, to stop and watch, and take photos.