Where?
The Henley Royal Regatta is not only the rowing event of the year but one of our stand-out events of the British Summer. Taking place on the banks of the Thames, in the Berkshire town of Henley, teams come from all over the world to pit their skills against each other, in a bid to win the coveted Grand Challenge Cup.
A quintessentially British affair, it is a strictly amateur event, with its own rules, its own course length and unlike any other Rowing Regatta, the winner is decided by a series of individual knock out races, with only two boats competing in each!

The Regatta started in 1839 (the same year John Cordings opened his little shop in The Strand) and has been held yearly for 176 years (except during the two World Wars). Last year saw entries from across the world, including Slovenia, China, Estonia and South Africa. The Regatta is so popular now that there are qualifying races the week before and even then, there can be as many as 90 races per day during the regatta. The course is 1 mile 550yards long and takes around 7mins to complete, although a Cordings team might take slightly longer!
The current chairman of the regatta is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest and most successful Olympian’s of all time, Sir Steve Redgrave, and he’s recently revealed the news that the HRR 2015 will be broadcast live on YouTube for the first time in the regattas history.

Wear?
Although the action takes place on the water, the event is as known for the splendid fashions adorned by the spectators, many of them wearing brightly coloured blazers denoting their rowing clubs. Henley has maintained a strict dress code throughout its history, with lounge suits or blazers worn by Gentleman and Ladies are requested to wear below the knee dresses, with trousers and culottes forbidden!

When?
The regatta lasts 5 days, Wednesday to Sunday over the first weekend of July.