Will there be Henley Royal Regatta 2021? Remember those days, when we used to show up in person to great sporting events? The pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 regatta. As I write this post, the regatta is potentially five months away. It is not clear if it will run, or perhaps with fewer spectators and perhaps limited competitors too. There are massive considerations swirling around such decisions which I will explore. As well as the tradition, history and pageantry of this very British event which makes my potential wardrobe a significant decision as well.

Planning a Major Regatta During a Pandemic

The dilemma and decision-making for the Stewards of the Henley Royal Regatta is similar to what all major sporting events are facing. Uncertainty and ever-changing circumstances make planning difficult to impossible. As an adventure travel tour operator, I have a sense of the challenges which require balancing government and governing body restrictions and a desire to protect the public, athletes, staff and all others involved against the wish to host an important event, a long-standing tradition in the racing calendar. What is the basis on which you make a go or no go, or partial go decision?

If decision-making around Henley Royal Regatta 2021 is hard, what about the 2020 Olympics, now rescheduled for August 2021? The whole world is watching, and everyone has an opinion. The stakes are so high, not just for the Olympic Committee and the athletes but also for the host country. The financial implications are enormous, and no doubt pressure from sponsors and those with a stake in either making money, or more likely, loosing money would be intense. Concerns around refunds for Henley Royal Regatta guest badges and the future sustainability of the organizations pale in comparison. But they are just as real, and for a local club regatta anywhere in the world equally significant at a different scale.

Innovative solutions are being found. For 2021 the decision was taken to make a radical change to another rowing regatta institution in Britain, The Boat Race. Organizers announced in December that rather than cancelling the historic race normally held on the Thames Tideway in London between Oxford and Cambridge universities crews (the “Blues”), the racing will take place on River Great Ouse, where spectator crowds can be better controlled and limited, if not eliminated. Instead of bemoaning the change, the Boat Race Company Limited and its media sponsor Row 360 published a free 196 page online magazine with stunning photos, celebrating the event. The Boat Race has previously been held on the River Great Ouse – in 1944 to avoid Nazi bombs raining down on London.

Not every event can change venues or even reschedule. Perhaps the only advantage of this drawn-out health crisis is that there has been time to learn, strategize and now begin applying lessons, with the objective of a safe return to regattas in 2021. Many national rowing organizations, such as USRowing, have developed resources, which are been updated. For example, a recent webinar reviews lessons from World Rowing regattas held in the fall, discusses age implications (some competitors are young and perhaps less likely to become ill, but many referees and officials are members of a high-risk population) and offers practical guidelines for organizing committees struggling with planning for regattas in 2021.

What Makes Henley Royal Regatta 2021 So Special

Have you been? Henley, along with Wimbledon and the Royal Ascot, are the three premier sporting events on high society calendars. Steeped in tradition and oh so charmingly British, the first Henley Regatta was held in 1839 and ran every year except during the two World Wars and now, 2020. The regatta gained royal patronage a few years later, although the last time that a royal showed up was in 2010. But the royalty of rowing is there. None other than Sir Stephen Redgrave is the Regatta chairman. Actually I think that he goes by Sir Steve.

There are many traditions and unique features that make Henley, Henley. It is a very posh event, with a clear hierarchy. Stewards are definitely top dogs, and have a special area reserved. Membership is not inexpensive but there are approximately 6,500. There is a long waiting list (over 1,000) to join, with preference given to past competitors. If you can get in, you will rub shoulders with rowing greats.

Henley is one of the few remaining head-to-head knockout regattas. Just two boats at a time on the course which is 112 m shy of the usual 2,000 race length. You lose your race, you are done, no repechage. It is the luck of the draw of who you are matched against in the early heats. Racing has just been extended to add a sixth day in order accommodate more events. The number and splendour of the trophies are astonishing. They are not publicly visible during the regatta, but are display on Leander Rowing Club the rest of the year – well worth seeing. And the racing stops periodically for tea breaks.

About the Hat

For entry into the Stewards’ Enclosure, the dress code is published:

Ladies are required to wear dresses or skirts with a hemline below the knee. Ladies will not be admitted wearing divided skirts, culottes or trousers of any kind.

Whilst not a requirement, it is customary for ladies to wear hats.

Well, there you have it. Not that I will receive a coveted invitation to the Stewards’ Enclosure. I could buy my way into the Regatta Enclosure, where we are informed that the dress code is less formal, although attendees are encouraged to enter into the spirit of the Regatta. Got it. Need a hat. Want a hat.

I have only been to Henley Royal Regatta once, although I have been to Henley-on-Thames many times including having personal tours of storied Leander Rowing Club. Henley Royal Regatta was spectacular and remains a highlight of my rowing travels. I wore a dress. I loved the atmosphere with prettily attired young women drinking Pimms and champagne along the riverbank, me enjoying strawberries and cream in the Regatta Enclosure and walking along the course watching the side-by-side racing that begins at Temple Island and along water that I have rowed, although definitely not raced. The people watching was extraordinary. I was agog, feeling immersed in tradition with more than a whiff of snobbery and elitism, but a tremendous sense of fun. How can you not love an event when a woman, wearing a hat, is rowing a Thames Skiff bearing men in ties?

I hope that there will be a Henley Royal Regatta 2021 and that it will be a grand success, even with reduced numbers of spectators and Covid safety protocols. I know that I won’t be there this year, but I plan to return another year, proudly wearing a hat.