This year's Kaohsiung Love River Dragon Boat Festival welcomed 15 international organizations, including international city partners from the United States and Japan, and foreign missions stationed in Taiwan to join the festivities in Kaohsiung. Japanese cities of Kumamoto, Mutsu, and Kitakyushu also set up stalls at the festival that were extremely popular among citizens, attracting numerous inquiries and engaging interactions. Following the intense dragon boat races, the city government hosted a welcome dinner for the international guests, featuring a performance by the Nibun Chorus. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai extended his gratitude to the diplomatic missions stationed in Taiwan and international cities for their support of Kaohsiung, saying, "We welcome everyone to return to Kaohsiung every year to join us in the dragon boat race. Effort is the key to success!"
The Japanese cities of Kumamoto, Mutsu, and Kitakyushu set up city booths at the Dragon Boat Market, a highlight of this year's international city participation. Each city displayed local promotional items and tourist information. Kitakyushu warmly invited Kaohsiung residents to participate in the city marathon, and Kumamoto's merchandise proved popular. Mutsu also actively promoted local tourism. The international city booths attracted many visitors during the Dragon Boat Festival, creating a vibrant and interactive atmosphere, showcasing the friendly exchanges between Kaohsiung and Japan. Senior Official Ms. Iwashita from Kumamoto Prefecture, who participated in this year's Love River Dragon Boat Race, expressed that the dragon boat event was exciting, and forming international teams with other Japanese cities and countries brought them closer together. Senior Staff Ms. Okamoto from Kitakyushu expressed that working together with friends from different cities and countries to reach the finish line was a truly precious and wonderful memory.
The highly anticipated international friendship dragon boat race boasts an even more impressive lineup this year, including team “AIT” from the American Institute in Taiwan, three teams named “KITSUNA” from the Kaohsiung Office of Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, team “MECO MAGSAYA” from the Kaohsiung Extension Office of Manila Economic and Cultural Office, team “NAGA THAI” from the the Labour Division, Kaohsiung of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office, and the debut of team “ITA” from the India-Taipei Association. In addition, a strong "International Team" featuring friendship cities in Japan, including Kumamoto, Mutsu, and Kitakyushu, joined by foreign missions in Taiwan, including Saint Kitts and Nevis, Eswatini, the European Economic and Trade Office, Germany, and Canada, created a lively atmosphere. The powerful Seattle Sister City Association Dragon Boat Team “Seattle Flying Dragons” advanced to participate in the traditional dragon boat, competitive dragon boat, and dragon boat tug-of-war competitions, competing against a wide range of competitors and earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Director-General Chang Yen-ching of the Department of Administrative and International Affair noted that Kaohsiung actively promotes international exchange by inviting international cities and foreign missions in Taiwan to participate in dragon boat races and related activities, allowing international partners to experience and immerse themselves in the Kaohsiung culture. In addition to dragon boat racing, Kaohsiung City Government also arranged for visitors to visit landmarks and municipal attractions such as the Neiwei Art Center, the KW2 Warehouse, the Kaohsiung Public Library, the Kaohsiung Museum of History, and the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. The guests also visited Pier-2 to participate in the handcrafting of fisherman’s flags, allowing them to experience the charm of Kaohsiung's urban transformation and innovation.