Inlay Traditional Regatta Festival

Date: 29 September 2026 – 16 October 2026

Location: Namkat Creek, Inle Lake, Inle Lake, Myanmar

Organizer: Local Organizing Committee

The boat races on Inle Lake are part of the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, one of Myanmar's largest religious festivals, held around the full moon of Thadingyut in September and October. For nearly three weeks, four of the pagoda's five gilded Buddha images travel the lake on a gilded barge shaped like the mythical Karaweik bird, towed by longboats crewed by dozens of leg-rowers, stopping at 14 villages along the way. Leg-rowing is the Intha technique unique to this lake: the rower stands, wraps one leg around the oar, and paddles while keeping both hands free. The racing is the sporting heart of the festival. Village teams of leg-rowers compete in long, narrow boats, sometimes with dozens of rowers standing in line, and rivalries between lake communities are taken seriously. Dates shift each year with the lunar calendar, so check locally before planning a visit around specific race days.

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