Head Of The Charles Regatta 2012 Rowing Oct 22–23, 2012

A two-day rowing competition held annually on the penultimate full-weekend in October, the Head Of The Charles Regatta has beckoned some of the top crew teams in the world since the very first race took place way back in 1965.

Upwards of 9,000 athletes and more than 300,000 spectators regularly attend the event. The Head Of The Charles Regatta course runs three miles upstream from the Boston University Boathouse to Christian Herter Park, which typically takes over an hour to walk, factoring in traffic and crowds.

Head Of The Charles Regatta is free-to-attend, with dozens of sponsors lining the banks with food, merchandise, and lots of free samples. Attendees can also head to Reunion Village, a temporary hospitality tent with cold beer, wine, and breakfast and lunch concessions, as well as some of the better views of the many races. Access to Reunion Village is $5.

Head Of The Charles Regatta visitors can also reserve a spot at the Eliot Bridge Enclosure, a more upscale hospitality tent at the river’s edge just upstream of the Eliot Bridge. Eliot Bridge Enclosure tickets are $90 for a single day or $150 for the weekend, and include early morning coffee and breakfast items, a gourmet buffet luncheon, two free drink tickets, and a cash bar. Purchasers must be over 21.

Apart from watching the competitions, Head Of The Charles Regatta attendees can also stop by the Rowing & Fitness Expo tent to try out a rowing machine, don some rowing-themed jewelry, or browse for new workout gear.

Head Of The Charles Regatta races usually have to different drop-in locations. Competitors racing in singles and doubles will likely land at the Singles and Double Launch Site at Magazine Beach in Cambridge. Athletes in fours and eights will land at the Finish Area Launch Site in Herter Park on Soldiers Field Road in Boston.

The Head Of The Charles Regatta also runs two shuttle routes for spectators; one around the course and the other to the main parking area on Birmingham Parkway in Brighton. Parking nearer to the event is very limited.