Thames Festival Trust presents: The World's Oldest Boat Race

Fan of the Oxford/Cambridge rowing comp? Bet you didn’t know it had an older sibling. Although not as well known, the Race for Doggett’s Coat and Badge is just as exciting and twice as hardy. Since it started in 1715, the boat race has survived two World Wars, a disagreement ‘gentlemen amateur’ and ‘professional’ rowers, and the decline of the docks paired with a rapidly changing capital. As part of the Totally Thames Festival, you can see the boats battle it out on September 4 and get to know the history behind the competition at an accompanying exhibition of archival material at Guildhall Yard (September 8-24) and Riverside Walkway (August 18-September 30).