Dartmouth Regatta 2025 in Full Swing – Tradition, Laughter, and a Town Alive
After a bumper Family Weekend to set the tone, the stage is now set for days of packed entertainment, grand competition, and the kind of small-town magic that makes Dartmouth’s Regatta a fixture in diaries year after year.
Official Opening Ceremony
The official curtain-raiser opened when Chair Ed Botterill stepped up to welcome the crowds gathered along the Embankment. His words will be met with the stirring sound of the Band of the South West Sea Cadets, their brass and drums ringing out across the Dart, a reminder that this is as much about heritage and community pride as it is about racing. From this point forward, the action comes thick and fast – and Dartmouth knows how to keep its visitors entertained.
Thursday – British Heroes, Fire and Flight
Thursday’s programme brims with family charm and a few unexpected thrills. The children’s fancy dress competition carries the theme of British Heroes, promising pint-sized Churchills, Suffragettes and perhaps even a few James Bonds taking to the stage in homemade costumes. Close by, ice cream eating contests will test stomachs while slacklining offers the chance to see brave souls balance across ropes like makeshift tightrope walkers.
On the river, WEARA rowing adds a splash of competition, local crews pulling hard against the current, cheered on by friends and family from the quayside. The real adrenaline, though, comes from the evening Firewalk – participants literally walking across glowing embers as the crowd roars. As if that weren’t enough, eyes will also be skyward for the dramatic flyby of the RAF A400 Atlas, a modern marvel whose roar over the Dart will rattle the rooftops.
Friday – From Crabs to Trolleys
Friday captures everything quirky and brilliant about Dartmouth’s Regatta. It begins with the junior crabbing competition – a chance for youngsters to haul up the Dart’s clawed residents and compare catches. Pavement artist competitions will turn the Embankment into a living gallery, while water jet daredevil James Prestwood returns with his spectacular flyboarding displays, soaring above the river like something from a science fiction film.
New this year is a radio-controlled boat display, a chance for the next generation of sailors to try their hand on a smaller scale. Then come the legendary Embankment events – the Waiters’ and Waitresses’ Races, trays wobbling precariously with pints of water, and the Barrel Rolling contests, where strength and balance collide. But the true centrepiece is the International Trolley Grand Prix: teams charging down the streets in souped-up shopping trolleys, a mix of slapstick and serious competition that always brings the house down.
Saturday – Super Saturday
If Thursday and Friday bring the fun, Saturday is the Regatta’s crown jewel. Known as Super Saturday, it features the road races that see runners of all ages take to Dartmouth’s hilly streets, testing lungs and legs in equal measure. Out on the water, sailing fleets and rowers provide the kind of close competition that made the Regatta famous, while the madcap Kontiki raft race brings out the homemade craft and plenty of laughter as they wobble across the Dart.
The day’s grand spectacle is the Regatta 180 River Parade – a procession of traditional steam launches, yachts and working boats that celebrates 180 years of Regatta history. The sight of these venerable vessels steaming proudly past is a moment that connects past to present, reminding all who watch that Dartmouth’s maritime story runs deep.
Music, Fireworks, and Community Spirit
No Regatta would be complete without music, and Dartmouth provides it in spades. From local acts to headliners, the soundtrack flows across the town all week. Saturday night belongs to the Riviera Dogs, who will play either side of the grand fireworks display at 9pm. One lucky spectator will even get the honour of pressing the button to ignite the sky – a moment sure to be remembered for a lifetime.
The fireworks themselves light up the Dart in an explosion of colour, mirrored in the river below, with boats at anchor and crowds ashore sharing in a collective gasp of delight. It’s the ultimate punctuation mark on Dartmouth’s biggest night.
More Than Just Racing
Yet the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta is not just about competition or spectacle. It is about the connections forged along the quayside and in the pubs, the laughter of children chasing oddities in the Spot the Oddity trail, and the sight of service personnel chatting with families in the Armed Forces Outreach Village. It’s the town itself – transformed into a stage for tradition, joy and pride.
From marriage proposals on the Yacht Club Bommie Deck to families sharing fish and chips on the Embankment, the Regatta means different things to different people. For some, it’s about chasing trophies. For others, it’s about memories made on a summer evening by the water.
A Festival of Sea and Spirit
As Dartmouth heads into the thick of the week, the message is clear: this is more than a regatta. It’s a festival of sea and spirit, one where oars splash, sails fill, and fireworks boom across the Dart.
The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta 2025 will go down, like its predecessors, as a celebration of heritage and a showcase of how a small town by the sea can throw one of the greatest parties in Britain.