Regatta Lepa Semporna: Bajau Laut Boat Festival
What is the Regatta Lepa Semporna?
The Regatta Lepa Semporna is a yearly Bajau boat festival in Semporna, first held officially in 1994. Decorated lepa boats compete on creativity and beauty, alongside sea sports, cultural performances and food. The 2026 edition ran from 20 to 28 June.
What is the Regatta Lepa Semporna?
The Regatta Lepa Semporna is one of Sabah's most distinctive cultural events — part boat race, part heritage festival. Held on the waterfront of Semporna in southeast Sabah, it celebrates the maritime culture of the Bajau Laut, a seafaring people whose lives have long been tied to the sea.
At the heart of the festival are the lepa, traditional Bajau Laut houseboats, which are decorated with extraordinary care and paraded before crowds of locals and visitors. The event preserves and showcases a living maritime tradition rather than staging a purely competitive race.
When and where it happens
The regatta is held once a year in Semporna, but there is no fixed month. The 2022 edition was a two-day event that began on 16 July (NST, checked 7 October 2026). The 2025 edition was listed for 29 June at the Semporna town square and field (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026). The 2026 edition, the 31st, ran from 20 to 28 June, with organisers expecting up to 50,000 visitors (NST, checked 7 October 2026). The festival was first held officially in 1994 (The Star, checked 7 October 2026).
What is a lepa boat?
A lepa is a traditional Bajau Laut houseboat — historically a home as much as a vessel for a people deeply connected to the sea. For the regatta, these boats are transformed: rigged with brightly coloured sails, flags, and intricate ornamentation that reflect Bajau Laut craftsmanship and identity. The result is a flotilla of floating colour that has become the festival's signature image.
How the festival is judged
Unlike a pure speed race, the Regatta Lepa rewards artistry. The lepa are decorated with colourful fabrics, delicate wood carvings and traditional ornaments, and compete on creativity and beauty (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026). This keeps the focus on cultural heritage, encouraging communities to pour skill and pride into preparing their lepa each year.
Culture, food and performances
The regatta is far more than the boats. Across the festival days, the Semporna waterfront fills with cultural performances, traditional costumes, and a food market. For visitors, it is a rare chance to experience Bajau Laut culture in a celebratory setting, with music, dance, dress, and local cuisine all part of the experience.
The Regatta Lepa is rooted in the identity of the Bajau Laut, one of Sabah's seafaring communities. Approach it as a cultural celebration: be respectful when photographing people and boats, and take time to learn the stories behind the decorations and traditions on display.
Visiting the regatta
Semporna is the gateway to Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai, which makes the regatta easy to combine with a diving or island-hopping trip. Festival week brings large crowds, so accommodation in and around Semporna can be tight. Book ahead and confirm the dates on the Sabah Tourism Board events page before you travel.