If you plan on coming to London in late March, there is one event that you shouldn’t miss… the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
This is a very unique sporting event, and is one of the oldest inter-collegiate sporting events in the world. Back in 1829, a Cambridge student challenged an Oxford student (and a friend) to a rowing race between the two schools. Since the 1860’s, it has been held on the River Thames, and continues to be raced annually. (Though it wasn’t during the two World Wars.) These days, it is one of the premier rowing events in the world, and the boats typically feature Olympic medalists and Olympic team members from across the globe. More history can be found at the Wikipedia entry.
The Boat Race is also a very British sporting event. Hundreds of thousands of people watch the race along the banks of the river along the 4-mile long course, and millions more watch it live on television. (You can see the crowds in the photo at the top!) At the same point, I would highly advise you to watch the race from Putney or another location where you can also see the television coverage. The race is about 16-18 minutes long, and you only ever see a couple minutes of it from the banks. The television station typically provides huge screens at various points along the banks.
What the Boat Race is for many people is just an excuse for a morning/afternoon out, with a lot of drinking involved. For pubs along the river, it is their biggest day of the year, even beating out New Year’s Eve! That said, it’s also a great day out for families, watching boats on the river.
This year’s race is on Saturday, March 29th at 5:15pm. That’s the time for the main race, but the race between the second squad boats goes off at 4:45pm. The main Boat Race website is here, and will have lots of great information about the race and where to watch it as the day gets closer.
The trophy may not be the most exotic, but it is certainly one of the most prized in the sport of rowing, as you can see here:
I highly recommend that you check it out!!
Share This
