Events

Watch the Head of the Charles

It is the largest two-day regatta in the world.

Rowers at the annual Head of the Charles. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Courtesy of HOCR

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Athletes from around the world and thousands of spectators are drawn to the banks of the Charles River each October for the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the largest two-day regatta in the world. Spectators can spend a classic fall afternoon in Boston, with happenings all over the three-mile stretch of the Charles River where the races go on, at spots like Harvard Square and BU.

First held in 1965, the regatta brings an estimated 225,000 spectators to the race and an estimated $72 million to the local economy. The skill level of competing athletes ranges from novice to Olympic, and the most prestigious races, the men’s and women’s championship races, happen on Saturday afternoon.

Spectating is free and open to the public. Some spectator favorites are the BU Bridge, where you’ll have unobstructed views of the starting line; Riverbend Park and its John W. Weeks footbridge; Eliot Bridge, the closest bridge to the finish line and the most likely spot for collisions, and Christian Herter Park, a wide open space near the finish line with a Nightshift beer garden.

The regatta also has a number of closed viewing sites where you can relax with food and drinks, like the Eliot Bridge Enclosure, which includes a catered breakfast and lunch and an open bar, and the Reunion Village, which, for a $10 admission fee, includes concessions and a beer garden.

Other spots to check out when you’re not watching the rowers include the Weld Exhibit by Harvard Square, featuring food vendors and regatta merchandise, or the Rowing and Fitness Expo by the finish line for even more vendor merchandise and rowing gear.