At the Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest three-day rowing competition, there’s much to see between Cambridge and Boston. Here's a guide before you go.
For first-time spectators to the Head of the Charles Regatta, the world’s largest three-day rowing competition, there’s much to see across the span of the race route between Cambridge and Boston.
The thick of the regatta is on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19 when dozens of races take place on the Charles River as hundreds of thousands of spectators line the riverbanks and gather on the river’s bridges each year to watch.
The 74 race events are scattered throughout the morning and afternoon and are subdivided by factors such as gender and age, in addition to races varying from single rowers, to doubles and crews of quads, fours to eights.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Head of the Charles Regatta, which began in October of 1965. More than 12,000 athletes are expected to take part in the races, with 2,400 volunteers helping to pull off the event.
According to Head of the Charles, a “head” race is a class of boat races in which “boats compete against one another and the clock, which starts sequentially, approximately fifteen seconds apart.”
Points of interest across the 3-mile race course include several crossing points on the river, pedestrian and cycling paths and parks on the riverbanks, and the finish line area.
“One of the most popular spots” at the regatta for spectators is the John W. Weeks Footbridge, according to the Head of the Charles, but it also poses a challenging turning point for rowing crews.
This pedestrian- and cyclist-only footbridge between the main Harvard University campus in Cambridge and the Harvard Business School in Allston lies toward the center of the regatta route.
Other points spectators can watch from include the Boston University Bridge near the start of the races, Magazine Beach in Cambridgeport, River Street Bridge, Western Avenue Bridge, Riverbend Park in Cambridge, the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path on both sides of the river, the Anderson Memorial Bridge, the Eliot Bridge and Allston’s Herter Park.
The southern side of the Eliot Bridge is currently closed off to spectators for reconstruction as part of the Eliot Bridge Preservation Project. The northern side of the bridge facing the Cambridge Boat Club is open to watch rowers paddle upstream.
There are numerous privately owned and university-owned boathouses lining the Charles River from where some can watch the regatta, too.
Herter Park is home of the finish line of the regatta. Here, spectators will find a plethora of food vendors and tents and stalls for supporting businesses, groups and brands.
Among the food vendors located near the finish for 2025 are these food trucks:
- Moyzilla Asian Street Food & Dumplings
- Clover Food Lab
- North East of the Border Authentic Mexican Food
- Bon Me Asian-Inspired Eats
- Mi Corazon Taqueria
- Trolley Dogs
- Pennypacker’s
- Elite Dough Cookies
- Wanderlust Globally-Inspired Street Food
As well as concession stalls in the FALS Bar, or Finish Area Launch Site Bar, run by:
- Cumin Indian Eats
- Si Cara Pizza Bar
- El Barco
- Flour Bakery + Café
- Summer Shack
- El Jefe’s Taqueria
- Mike & Patty’s
- Jenny Mac’s
- Fat Sandwich Dude
- Chocolate Moonshine Company
In the FALS Bar area, one will find picnic tables for seating, some underneath a tent structure, with views of the adjacent Charles River as rowers near the finish line, in addition to a large screen showing images from elsewhere on the regatta route.
There are also a handful of more exclusive vantage points for the regatta nearby, such as the ticketed Eliot Bridge Enclosure hospitality tent.
The finish line area also features Attager (“Regatta” backwards) Row where rowing product vendors and corporate sponsors have stalls and where you can find vendors selling official Head of the Charles Regatta merchandise.
Watch five points of interest spectators should consider for the 60th annual Head of the Charles Regatta below or by clicking.
To access the regatta course, MBTA stations such as Boston University Central and Amory Street on the Green Line are located near the start of the regatta on the Boston side.
On the Cambridge side, Central Station on the Red Line is close to the Western Avenue and River Street bridges. Harvard Station on the Red Line will get spectators closer to the Anderson Memorial Bridge, the John W. Weeks Footbridge and Riverbend Park.
Public transportation and ride-sharing are encouraged because Memorial Drive in Cambridge will be closed to traffic in both directions during the regatta.
The ride share drop-off/pick-up is at 992 Soldiers Field Road at Herter Park.
Paid parking is available at the Alewife Station garage at the end of the Red Line and at Harvard Stadium in Allston.
For more information about all things Head of the Charles Regatta 2025, head to its website.
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Category: General Sports
