City of Cambridge Christmas Head
Head race
1,800m course
- Date
- Saturday 5 December 2026
- Venue
- River Cam, Cambridge
- Entry deadline
- Sunday 29 November 2026 (38 days left)
- Organised by
- City of Cambridge Rowing Club
City of Cambridge Christmas Head is a head race. It is held on Saturday 5 December 2026 at River Cam, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire over a 1,800m course. The event is organised by City of Cambridge Rowing Club. Entries close on Sunday 29 November 2026. City of Cambridge Christmas Head offers 9 boat classes, including 8+, 8x+, 4-, 4+ and others.
Entries at a glance
From the last 2 races (2023 to 2025).
186
crews a year on average
64%
sweep boats
97
eights raced
Masters: 18 crews over 2 races, mostly eights, quads and singles. Some crew bands were not recorded (18 crews).
Who races here
Over the last 2 races (2023, 2025) this head averaged 186 crews. Sculling boats made up 36% of entries. Masters crews made up 5% (18 crews), mostly eights and quads.
371 crews across 2 editions. The grids combine all years shown.
Will my crew have racing here?
See which crews raced before. This does not confirm this year's entry categories.
Senior and open women's eight: 21 matching crews raced over 2 years.
- 2025: Women's eight, 7 crews; Beginner women's eight, 5 crews; Development women's eight, 6 crews
- 2023: Championship women's eight, 3 crews
Junior crews can often enter an older age category. Check the event's rules.
Crews by age and boat
Choose a cell to check your crew. Darker blue means more crews.
Scroll sideways to see every boat or band.
| Age group | 1x Single | 2x Double | 2- Pair | 4x Quad | 4x+ Coxed quad | 4- Four | 4+ Coxed four | 8+ Eight | All boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 81 | ||||||||
| Senior and open | 96 | ||||||||
| Masters | 18 | ||||||||
| University and college | 13 | ||||||||
| Beginner | 0 | ||||||||
| All ages | 32 | 63 | 5 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 97 | 371 |
Crews per cell
0
1-9
10-24
25-49
50-99
100-199
200+
Masters crews by band
Each crew counts in its own band. Choose a cell to see the races.
| Boat | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | Unknown band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x Single | ||||||||||||
| 2x Double | ||||||||||||
| 2- Pair | ||||||||||||
| 4x Quad | ||||||||||||
| 4x+ Coxed quad | ||||||||||||
| 4- Four | ||||||||||||
| 4+ Coxed four | ||||||||||||
| 8+ Eight |
Crews per cell
0
1-9
10-24
25-49
50-99
100-199
200+
Categories raced
Open an age group to compare categories. Counts are crews in each year.
Scroll the table sideways to see all years.
Junior 22 categories raced
| Category | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| J14 women's double W.J14.2x | 6 | 5 |
| J16 double Op.J16.2x | 3 | 4 |
| J16 women's double W.J16.2x | 2 | 5 |
| J15 double Op.J15.2x | 2 | 3 |
| J15 women's double W.J15.2x | 5 | - |
| J13 women's single W.J13.1x | - | 4 |
| J14 single Op.J14.1x | - | 4 |
| J16 women's single W.J16.1x | - | 4 |
| J14 double Op.J14.2x | - | 3 |
| J16 single Op.J16.1x | - | 3 |
| J18 coxed quad Op.J18.4x+ | - | 3 |
| J18 women's double W.J18.2x | - | 3 |
| J18 women's eight W.J18.8+ | 3 | - |
| J18 women's quad W.J18.4x | 3 | - |
| J14 women's single W.J14.1x | - | 2 |
| J15 women's coxed quad W.J15.4x+ | 2 | - |
| J15 women's quad W.J15.4x | - | 2 |
| J17 double Op.J17.2x | 2 | - |
| J17 women's quad W.J17.4x | 2 | - |
| J18 eight Op.J18.8+ | 2 | - |
| J18 single Op.J18.1x | - | 2 |
| Mixed j16 coxed quad Mx.J16.4x+ | - | 2 |
Senior and open 24 categories raced
| Category | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner open eight Beginner.Op.8+ | - | 7 |
| Women's eight W.8+ | - | 7 |
| Development women's eight Development.W.8+ | - | 6 |
| Women's quad W.4x | - | 6 |
| Beginner women's eight Beginner.W.8+ | - | 5 |
| Open coxed four Op.4+ | - | 5 |
| Open coxless pair Op.2- | 2 | 3 |
| Open double Op.2x | - | 5 |
| Open eight Op.8+ | - | 5 |
| Club open single Club.Op.1x | 4 | - |
| Development open eight Development.Op.8+ | - | 4 |
| Open quad Op.4x | - | 4 |
| Women's coxed four W.4+ | - | 4 |
| Women's double W.2x | - | 4 |
| Beginner women's coxed quad Beginner.W.4x+ | - | 3 |
| Championship women's eight Championship.W.8+ | 3 | - |
| Club women's coxed four Club.W.4+ | 3 | - |
| Development women's coxed quad Development.W.4x+ | - | 3 |
| Open single Op.1x | - | 3 |
| Women's single W.1x | - | 3 |
| Mixed coxed four Mx.4+ | - | 2 |
| Mixed coxed quad Mx.4x+ | - | 2 |
| Mixed quad Mx.4x | - | 2 |
| Championship mixed eight Championship.Mx.8+ | - | 1 |
Masters 5 categories raced
| Category | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters C, D and E women's eight W.Mas.CDE.8+ | 5 | - |
| Masters E, F and G men's eight Op.Mas.EFG.8+ | 4 | - |
| Masters B, C and D men's eight Op.Mas.BCD.8+ | 3 | - |
| Masters D and E women's quad W.Mas.DE.4x | 3 | - |
| Masters D, E and F men's single Op.Mas.DEF.1x | 3 | - |
University and college 2 categories raced
| Category | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed university eight Mx.Uni.8+ | - | 9 |
| Mixed college double Mx.COL.2x | - | 4 |
Other categories 50 categories raced
| Category | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Mx Town/Alumni 8+ Mx Town/Alumni 8+ | - | 8 |
| 2x Mixed Town Combined 2x Mixed Town Combined | 7 | - |
| 8+ W Club/May 2nd 8+ W Club/May 2nd | 7 | - |
| 8+ Op Club/Novice 8+ Op Club/Novice | 6 | - |
| Mx Nines 8+ Mx Nines 8+ | - | 6 |
| W Mas 8+ W Mas 8+ | - | 6 |
| 8+ Mixed MasC/D/E 8+ Mixed MasC/D/E | 5 | - |
| 8+ Mixed Town 8+ Mixed Town | 5 | - |
| O Mas 8+ O Mas 8+ | - | 5 |
| Octo Octo | - | 5 |
| 1x Op Combined 1x Op Combined | 4 | - |
| 2- Op (Combined) 2- Op (Combined) | 4 | - |
| 4+ W Combined 4+ W Combined | 4 | - |
| 4x+ W J14/J13 4x+ W J14/J13 | 4 | - |
| 4x+ W J18/J17 4x+ W J18/J17 | 4 | - |
| 4x- Op Combined 4x- Op Combined | 4 | - |
| 8+ Mixed COL 8+ Mixed COL | 4 | - |
| 8+ Mixed Champ Special 8+ Mixed Champ Special | 4 | - |
| 8+ W May 3rd and below 8+ W May 3rd and below | 4 | - |
| Mx Town 2x Mx Town 2x | - | 4 |
| 2x Mixed COL Combined 2x Mixed COL Combined | 3 | - |
| 2x W MasD,E,F 2x W MasD,E,F | 3 | - |
| 4+ Mixed (combined) 4+ Mixed (combined) | 3 | - |
| 4+ Op Club/May 2nd 4+ Op Club/May 2nd | 3 | - |
| 4+ Op J14 EAYR 4+ Op J14 EAYR | 3 | - |
| 8+ Mixed Chesterton Special 8+ Mixed Chesterton Special | 3 | - |
| Mx Chesterton 8+ Mx Chesterton 8+ | - | 3 |
| Mx Rad 8+ Mx Rad 8+ | - | 3 |
| Octo (combined) Octo (combined) | 3 | - |
| W Mas 2x W Mas 2x | - | 3 |
| 1x W J16/17 1x W J16/17 | 2 | - |
| 1x W combined 1x W combined | 2 | - |
| 2x W Combined 2x W Combined | 2 | - |
| 4+ Op Champ/May 1 (non-prize) 4+ Op Champ/May 1 (non-prize) | 2 | - |
| 4x+ Op J14/J15 4x+ Op J14/J15 | 2 | - |
| 4x+ Op/Mixed J18 4x+ Op/Mixed J18 | 2 | - |
| 8+ Mixed J18 8+ Mixed J18 | 2 | - |
| 8+ Op May 1st and 2nd 8+ Op May 1st and 2nd | 2 | - |
| 8+ Op May 3rd and below 8+ Op May 3rd and below | 2 | - |
| 8+ W Club and Novice 8+ W Club and Novice | 2 | - |
| Mx 16++ Mx 16++ | - | 2 |
| Mx Stable 4x+ Mx Stable 4x+ | - | 2 |
| O Grand Mas 8+ O Grand Mas 8+ | - | 2 |
| 2- W MasD (non-prize) 2- W MasD (non-prize) | 1 | - |
| 2x Op Novice (non-prize) 2x Op Novice (non-prize) | 1 | - |
| 2x2- Op Club (non-prize) 2x2- Op Club (non-prize) | 1 | - |
| 4+ Op MasH (non-prize) 4+ Op MasH (non-prize) | 1 | - |
| Mx Sceep Mx Sceep | - | 1 |
| O Sceep O Sceep | - | 1 |
| W Sceep W Sceep | - | 1 |
Counts come from the published results of past races. Organisers can merge or split categories each year, so check the current entry categories before you enter.
Venue location
About this head race
Annual Christmas race featuring a festive spirit with crews often in fancy dress.
Course
Running from the Pike and Eel to outside Jesus boathouse.
Boat classes
- 8+
- 8x+
- 4-
- 4+
- 4x
- 4x+
- 2-
- 2x
- 1x
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Regatta
800m
5 boat classes
City of Cambridge Christmas Head 2026: common questions
When does City of Cambridge Christmas Head 2026 take place?
City of Cambridge Christmas Head 2026 is on Saturday 5 December 2026. Racing begins at 9:00am.
Where is City of Cambridge Christmas Head held?
City of Cambridge Christmas Head is held at River Cam, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
What format is City of Cambridge Christmas Head raced in?
City of Cambridge Christmas Head is a head race (1,800m).
Which boat classes race at City of Cambridge Christmas Head?
City of Cambridge Christmas Head runs 9 boat classes: 8+, 8x+, 4-, 4+, 4x, 4x+, 2-, 2x, 1x.
Who can race at City of Cambridge Christmas Head?
City of Cambridge Christmas Head takes entries for Open, Women’s, Mixed crews.
How do crews enter City of Cambridge Christmas Head?
Entry information is published on the official regatta website (www.cityrc.co.uk). City of Cambridge Rowing Club is responsible for entries and on-the-day logistics. The entry deadline is Sunday 29 November 2026.
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