Lanterns, Moon Cakes and Giant Chopsticks: Our 2026 Mid-Autumn Fair

On September 23, two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, our teams in Dongguan, Huizhou, and Vietnam came together for this year's Mid-Autumn Fair. The theme was Blossoming Flowers, Full Moon.

In China, two factory basketball courts became fairgrounds, strung with paper lanterns and lined with game stations. In Vietnam, the dormitory lounge is filled with balloons, star lanterns, and children.

Last year we wrote about what this festival means across our global team. This year we want to show you what it looked like.

Dongguan: A Fair Under the Palms

At Strategic Sports BaseCamp, the fair opened at 6 p.m. on the basketball court. Riddles hung on bright paper strips between the palm trees, strung alongside painted lanterns. Colleagues pulled them down and worked out the answers together.

Many brought their children, some still in school uniforms. At the craft tables, families pieced together wooden lantern kits shaped like palace lamps, crescent moons, and rabbits. Kids painted plain white paper lanterns in whatever colors they liked. A few steps away, parents and children pulled on gloves and pressed their own mooncakes.

Then came the games:

Golden Chopsticks. Players used a pair of oversized chopsticks to lift glowing moons off the court and drop them into a box before time ran out.
Jade Rabbit Fishes for Mooncakes. One minute, one fishing rod, and as many mooncakes as you could hook.
The Sticky Palm. Five tries to pick up mooncake cards from a table with a sticky hand. The Chinese name is a pun on the kung fu move Buddha's Palm.

Every game paid out in points, and the points were traded for prizes at a redemption table. By the time the court lights came on, families were lining up at the backdrop for photos, finished lanterns in hand.

Huizhou: Same Games, Its Own Crowd

In Huizhou, the same stations filled the factory's basketball court, with rows of lanterns and riddles hung along one side.

A security guard in uniform took his turn with the fishing rod while kids crowded in beside him. A young girl in a pink traditional dress took on the giant chopsticks, which were nearly as tall as she was. Colleagues in Strategic polos bent over the craft tables, fitting lantern frames together.

Before the light faded, everyone gathered in front of the backdrop for a group photo, holding up the lanterns they had made. At dusk, the lanterns strung along the court were lit.

Vietnam: Tết Trung Thu

In Vietnam, the festival is Tết Trung Thu, and children are at the center of it. Our team celebrated in the first-floor lounge of the dormitory, under a balloon arch and a backdrop of lion dancers and the Moon Lady.

Tables were stacked with star lanterns, plush toys, and snacks. A game of musical chairs on red plastic stools drew a crowd along the walls. Colleagues reached into prize-draw boxes while the host kept things moving on the microphone. Children collected character lanterns and gift bags, and families posed for photos in front of the backdrop.

A Full Week of Mid-Autumn

The fair was the centerpiece of a week of smaller gatherings. In Dongguan, the Finance Center sat down to dinner together on September 21. The Administration Center gathered the next day, with gift boxes stacked at the front of the room. On the 23rd, the R&D Center shared pomelo, mandarin oranges, and sliced mooncakes.

On production floors in Dongguan and Huizhou, teams lined up for festival gift boxes and fresh fruit. The the whole team shared an outdoor dinner under a banner that read, "A full moon at Mid-Autumn, warmth between you and me."

[image: Colleagues share an outdoor dinner at long tables under a red Mid-Autumn banner]

What a Night Like This Is For

"What I notice in these photos is the children," said Norman Cheng, Managing Director of Strategic Sports. "Our people brought their families to the factory, and it felt natural. A night like this is simple. Lanterns, mooncakes, a few games. But it tells you who we are. People come first, and that includes the people our workers go home to."

The Mid-Autumn Festival is about reunion. At three sites in two countries, our teams made room for it and brought their families along.

From all of us at Strategic Sports, we hope your Mid-Autumn Festival was a bright one.

Mid-Autumn Fair 2026 Recap