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| The 2026 Hue Unicorn Dance Festival has moved its competition venue from Nghinh Luong Dinh to the Sports Hall at 100 Pham Van Dong St |
This year’s Hue Unicorn Dance Festival features outstanding unicorn dance troupes from several provinces and cities, including Thien Vuong (Gia Lai), Duong Uy (Quang Tri), Phuc Loc (Danang), 153 Vu Mien (Danang), Hoang Thu (Danang), Bach Ho (Danang), Phuoc Nguyen Duong (Danang), Tam Nghia (Danang), as well as troupes from Hue, including Tan Phuong Quang, Nam Anh, Duc Huu, Khai Hung, Thien Long, Bach Hoa Duong, Phuong Quang A, Phuong Quang B, and Nam Vuong.
At the festival, large crowds of locals and visitors enjoyed thrilling, high-level competitions showcasing martial spirit, strength, and agility in the Mai Hoa Thung and Dia Buu events.
Under the original plan, the 2026 Hue Unicorn Dance Festival was scheduled to open on the evening of September 19 at Nghinh Luong Dinh. However, bad weather forced the organizing committee to postpone the event until the morning of September 20. Despite continued rain that morning, large crowds still came to watch and cheer on the performers, highlighting the festival’s appeal to both children and adults.
Also on September 20, a unicorn - lion - dragon parade and a street Mid-Autumn lantern procession were scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., featuring students and unicorn dance troupes along the route from Nghinh Luong Dinh to Trinh Cong Son Park. However, a representative of the Phu Xuan Ward People’s Committee said the activities are weather-dependent, with a final decision to be made shortly before the event.
“The Hue Unicorn Dance Festival has brought joy to children on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, while also serving as a tourism attraction that offers visitors memorable and enjoyable experiences in Hue. Taking lessons from this year’s event, we will prepare additional plans next year in case weather conditions are unfavorable,” said Ms. Duong Thi Thuy Truyen, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The following are some photos taken at the Mai Hoa Thung competition at Hue Unicorn Dance Festival 2026:
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| The festival-opening drumbeat |
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| Leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism present commemorative flags to the participating teams |
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| Mai Hoa Thung is a competition that requires thorough preparation in every aspect |
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| Phuong Quang unicorn dance troupe from Hue kicks off the Mai Hoa Thung competition |
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| Mai Hoa Thung setup consists of iron poles ranging from 1.2 to 2.5 meters in height |
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| With the poles spaced far apart, the jumps require strength, precision and... |
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| ...coordination and courage |
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| In addition to jumps and flips, aerial spins are among the most challenging moves, earning high scores from the judges |
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| The lively expressions of a unicorn |
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| Weighing around 5 to 7 kilograms, the unicorn head requires the lead dancer to be physically strong, while the tail dancer needs to stay agile to keep in sync and support the other performer |
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| The ‘Southern Unicorn Crossing the Truong Son Mountains to Pick Reishi Mushrooms’ is a popular routine but demands extensive training and careful preparation |
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| A technical error during a jump caused a performer from Khai Hung unicorn dance troupe to fall off the Mai Hoa Thung twice |
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| However, they remained determined to complete their performance and continued with a series of challenging moves |
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| The troupe’s determination was met with a round of applause from the audience |