The Boat Race is a historic sporting event for both Cambridge and Oxford University.
For the city of Cambridge, the Boat Race is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Whether you are a student at Cambridge University or just someone who lives in the city, many people take pride in the Cambridge crews taking to the Thames.
The men’s Boat Race started in 1829 after Charles Wordsworth from Christ Church College, Oxford, and Charles Merivale of St John’s, Cambridge, met during vacation in Cambridge. Wordsworth went rowing on the River Cam and the friends decided to make a challenge out of it.
The first men’s Boat Race took place on June 10 1829 at Henley on Thames. The event happened irregularly for the next 25 years before it was moved to London in 1836.
The women’s Boat Race was founded in 1927 and was held on the Isis in Oxford but didn’t happen every year until the mid-1960s. The first few races didn’t have the two crews on the river at the same time but were judged by “time and style” until 1935 where they started following the traditional format.
For 2026, the Boat Race will taking place on Saturday, April 4. Over 200,000 people are expected to watch the 80th Women’s Race and the 171st Men’s Race along the riverbanks.
The race will take place on a 4.25 mile stretch of the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake in south west London. The women’s Boat Race kicks off at 2:21pm and the men’s Boat Race will start an hour later at 3:21pm.
If you are heading down to London for the event, there are two fan zones that will be open from 11am and will involve food, drinks, and giant screens so you don’t miss any of the action. Hammersmith Furnivall Gardens is right next to the river and will have a range of food spots to enjoy from burgers to Greek street food.
Fulham Pier is open to supporters and alumni of Oxford University and will have a dedicated stand for fans to pick up badges and flags. Cambridge University supporters will also be welcome in this area.
You could also head to a pub nearby or find a spot along the bank to cheer on Cambridge. If you are staying in Cambridge, you can watch the Boat Race on Channel 4 with coverage running from 1:30pm to 4:30pm – the event was previously televised by the BBC, but in a major change it will now be shown by another broadcaster.
If you need any more information about the Boat Race, you can go to the event website for the full day’s schedule.