The Americas Cup … the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race … Henley Royal Regatta … Cowes Week … there are some incredible annual festivals of seamanship out there. In no way shape or form, does the Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta deserve to be spoken about in the same breath as such illustrious events.
What’s the Darwin Beer Can Regatta?
It’s an annual “boat” race (Saturday, July 7 this year), where the vessels are built from primarily from empty aluminium cans (beer and soft drink cans). Teams start on the beach and head out around a buoy, before racing back to the beach.
What’s the story?
With a sponsorship deal with a brewery to stage a water festival of some sort, two members of the local tourism board decided to toy with the idea of building rafts out of empty beer cans (ahem, so big time out-of-the-box thinking clearly). The original event saw the c-rafts (see what we did there) powered by outdoor motors, but these days they’re all human powered (sailors are equipped with paddles).
The event is now jointly run by a partnership of Lions Clubs (charitable societies). Each year they aim to raise around AUS $30,000 for Northern Territory charities.
Is this a new idea?
Far from it … it was set up in 1974.
Where does it take place?
Mindil Beach in Darwin. It’s a 15-minute walk from Smith Street Mall in the centre of town.
When is it?
The event is beholden to the tide. Tide cycles ensure it’s typically staged in July, but on the odd occasion it happens in August.
What’s the vibe like?
While it’s definitely a competition (you need only look at the grimaces on the faces of the paddlers as they struggle to navigate the course), it’s all done in good humour. None of the vessels are tested for seaworthiness ahead of the race, so part of the fun is seeing which ones sink.
Is it suitable for families?
It’s promoted as a family event. Naturally, as you’d expect of an event where beer cans are the main attraction, there’ll be a fair bit of drinking and the odd swear word thrown around in the heat of battle, but all in all it’s a kid-friendly day out.
How much does it cost to watch?
It’s free to drop down the beach and watch. There are a whole bunch of other activities staged on the day, including “Henley-on-Mindil”, where bottomless boats are raced on the beach itself (think boating Flintstones-style), tug-of-war, thong-throwing (yes, it is what you’re thinking) and a beach market that runs late into the night.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Featured image: Wikimedia Commons)
