In addition to two great days of rowing action, Durham Regatta is set to provide the public with plenty of entertainment on Saturday June 10th and Sunday June 11th.

The regatta will feature music, theatre performances, stalls selling souvenirs and crafts, funfair rides, inflatables and a classic car show. 

The Saturday will see performances by the Bread and Butter Theatre Company while Musical Ruth, from Britain’s Got Talent, will be providing the entertainment on the Sunday. 

photo courtesy of kanu101, from Flickr Creative Commons
photo courtesy of kanu101, from Flickr Creative Commons

There will be music from local bands such as Durham University Brass Band, Durham University Concert Band and Pittington Brass Band. Throughout the event, local bands will be performing at the historic bandstand.

There will also be bars and food stalls, a Punch and Judy show and even some giant garden gnomes. 

The enclosure will be open between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm, with tickets costing £3.00 for adults and £1.50 for kids. Family tickets can be purchased for £8.00 and children under five get in for free.

As well as the entertainment, there will, of course, be the rowing, with hundreds of crews from a variety of universities, schools, colleges and clubs taking part in both long and short course races. 

Durham Regatta can only take place due to the efforts of volunteers, and the organisers recently put out a request asking for more volunteers to come forward. 

Durham Regatta, which has been running since 1834, is the second oldest rowing regatta in the country, predating the regatta at Henley-on-Thames by five years.

In fact, Durham Regatta’s roots go back even further, as the regatta is believed to have evolved from a procession of boats that took place in 1815 to celebrate the Duke of Wellington’s victory in the Battle of Waterloo.   

Last year, the regatta was enjoyed by 10,000 spectators and over 1,400 competitors.

(Featured image courtesy of kanu101, from Flickr Creative Commons)


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