The Boat Race is on 4 April. But before Oxford and Cambridge take to the water, one of the largest rowing events on the planet finishes at Putney Bridge this coming Saturday, and most residents have no idea it is happening.
The Head of the River Race takes place on 28 March 2026, 100 years after Steve Fairbairn first organised a rowing race on this stretch of the Thames. It runs the same championship course as the Boat Race but in reverse, from Mortlake to Putney, and on a far greater scale. What started with 21 crews in 1926 has grown into a procession of more than 320 boats and 2,880 athletes, including Olympians competing in club colours. It is free to watch.
Crews set off from Chiswick Bridge at 12:15pm in 10-second intervals, each racing against the clock rather than head-to-head. The fastest reach the Putney finish from about 12:30pm, with the procession continuing until around 2pm.
The centenary
Fairbairn, a Cambridge oarsman and coach, started the race to give crews a target at the end of the winter training season. The official history describes it as his solution to “winter boredom.” The Fairbairn Trophy, awarded to the fastest overall crew, still bears his name.
The defending champions are Leander Club A, who won the Trophy in both 2024 and 2025, setting a course record of 16 minutes 26.7 seconds in 2024. Oxford Brookes University A have been runners-up in both races and will be looking to go one better. Around 50 to 60 crews have come from overseas this year, with rowers from Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark among those making the trip.
Where to watch
The best Putney vantage point is the riverbank a couple of hundred metres before the bridge, close enough to see the athletes push through the final stretch. The Duke’s Head pub sits by the finish line and is well positioned for watching the boats gather before the race builds to its conclusion.
Prize-giving takes place at 5pm at London Rowing Club on Putney Embankment (the club whose new riverside balcony was recently completed) if you want to stay for the presentations. The race is also livestreamed on the HoRR YouTube channel.
The weekend also includes the Vesta International Masters Head on Sunday 29 March, a separate race on the same course starting at 2pm. Putney.news reported last year on the death of a rower during that event; we will be covering this year’s race in the usual way.
Coming up on the river
The Head of the River Race is the first of three consecutive weekends of racing on this stretch of the Thames. The week after brings the 2026 Boat Race, Oxford v Cambridge on 4 April, with around 250,000 spectators expected on the banks. The crews are already known: you can read about them in our 2026 crew guide.
Everything you need for the full fortnight, including vantage points, tide times and the history of the course, is in the Putney.news Boat Race guide.
