Foshan retains Lion King crown at Macao’s MGM Cup

Foshan’s leading lion dance team retained its Lion King title in Macao as the 13th International Lion Dance Championship 2026 – MGM Cup concluded at Barra Square on 11 October.

The two-day championship, regarded as one of the world’s top three professional Southern Lion Dance competitions, brought together more than 270 athletes from 25 teams representing 14 countries and regions. Competitors from mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia were joined by teams from Europe, Oceania and North America, with Canada taking part for the first time. An inclusive opening performance brought together the MGM x Macau Special Olympics Lion Dance Team and performers from the show Macau 2049. 

In the headline Freestyle Lion Dance Championship high pole contest, the Chinese Dragon Lion Dance Sports Association – Foshan Nanhai Huangfeihong Zhonglian Cable Lion Dragon Martial Art Association scored 9.45 to win for a second consecutive year. Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation – Yi Wei Athletic Association placed second with 9.31, followed by the Chinese Taipei Dragon Lion Dance Association on 9.28.

The Foshan team combined athletic power and precise choreography in a routine built around difficult leaps between elevated poles. Its representative said the title reflected years of work by the whole team, adding: “We hope our performances inspire more young people to discover and appreciate lion dance culture.”

Macao teams won two of the three traditional categories. Mak Chi Leong Dragon & Lion Dance Association Macau defended the Women’s Traditional Lion Dance title with a score of 9.16, while Clube Desportivo Hang Sung de Macau topped the junior division with 8.75. The Dragon and Lion Dance Federation of Malaysia -Tarian Singa Kwong Ngai, Malaysia took the youth title, scoring 9.03.

The competition, first launched in 2010, formed part of a wider Lion Dance Festival programme featuring talks and sharing sessions. MGM and Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau also introduced, for the first time, a commemorative postmark and a lenticular postcard that “flips” between archival lion dance scenes at Barra Square and images from this year’s championship.

The medals also carried a local connection. Created with Macao cultural enterprise Gakyim, they were made primarily from recycled coffee grounds using techniques adapted from traditional Chinese incense making. Reliefs of competing lions were pressed, shade-dried, trimmed and polished into medals for the top three teams in each category.

Han Tian, chief operating officer of MGM China, said: “Over the years, MGM has remained committed to preserving and promoting China’s rich cultural heritage through innovative approaches. The International Lion Dance Championship is not only a world-class sporting event, but also a significant platform that bridges culture, cities and the world.”

The competition was streamed on more than 10 domestic and international platforms. MGM said the championship attracted nearly four million online and offline views, extending an event staged beside the UNESCO World Heritage-listed A-Ma Temple well beyond Barra Square.