Regatta Eve celebrations underway in St. John's, as city gears up for traditional rowing race
75 teams totaling around 750 people will participate in the 206th Royal St. John's Regatta. (Mike Rossiter/CBC)
Seventy-five teams are ready to row in the 206th Royal St. John's Regatta Wednesday, a coincidence that well-highlights a provincial milestone — Newfoundland and Labrador's 75th year of confederation.
The Royal St. John's Regatta is North America's oldest sporting event. It's a tradition unique to St. John's, both in terms of its fixed-seat rowing and its status as a mid-week, weather-dependent holiday.
With both sun and cloud in Wednesday's forecast, it looks promising that thousands of people will gather around Quidi Vidi Lake to watch the races and enjoy live music, food, and carnival-style games.
Captain of the course Keith White.said over 200 concessionaires will be around the lake — an increase from last year's event.
"Every food truck in St. John's and surrounding areas will be here tomorrow," White told CBC News.
Some will open Tuesday night for Regatta Eve celebrations as hundreds of St. John's residents take their chances on partying in what's become known as Regatta Roulette, a tradition that's as old as the Regatta itself.
If you win, you get a day to sleep it off. But if you lose, and the weather delays the races, you're in for a long day at work on a Wednesday.
White said there's a concert lakeside at the Quidi Vidi band stand tonight starting at 5:30 p.m. NT. The Salt Beef Junkies and The Ennis Sisters will take the stage between 5:30 p.m. NT and 7:45 p.m. NT.
The Irish Decendents will headline the event and take the stage at 8 p.m. NT.
"That is in fact, a new thing that is not something we traditionally do. So we're really looking forward to that," White said.
Weather-dependent, races will start at 8 a.m. NT on Wednesday and run until 7 p.m. NT with a short break between 12 p.m. NT and 2 p.m. NT.
White said Regatta Day is full of excitement. For first timers, he encourages people to take in the races and take public transit down to the lake.
A special "Load and Go" service, which charges a dollar, will pick passengers up from several locatons and drop them close to the lake.
White is excited for the event, watching the races, and eating some Ziggy's french fries — "a staple around the lake."
"There's upwards of 50,000 people lakeside and it's a great event," he said. "The races are paramount, of course, and there's so much excitement and enthusiasm around the lake."
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