Setting sail for this Saturday, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta returns to Houston for its 53rd year. As the state’s largest canoe and kayak race, visitors can watch as hundreds of canoers and kayakers take to Buffalo Bayou in a fun, friendly, but competitive competition.
Hundreds of participants are slated to flood the Buffalo Bayou for the 53rd Annual Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta. Spanning over five decades, the event started as a rag-tag, grassroots event before transforming into a major annual tradition.
Now under the leadership of Buffalo Bayou Partnership, who has organized the event since 2003, the regatta is a 15-mile race along Buffalo Bayou, where all shapes and sizes of canoes, kayaks, and boats compete in community-friendly spirit.
For aspiring paddlers, registration for the event is available until 8:45 am race day, Saturday, March 22, priced at $60 per participant before March 20, $65 afterwards. The event features multiple categories, both competitive and non-competitive. Participants not providing their own watercraft can opt to rent a canoe or kayak here for additional purchase.
For serious racers, the partnership offers team sponsorship opportunities for interested parties. Those interested can contact August Bishop at abishop@buffalobayou.org.
Following the race, an award’s ceremony will be hosted at Allen’s Landing at 1019 Commerce St., where organizers will bestow awards to the top three winners of each category.
For the rest of us, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta offers a unique Houston experience and the opportunity to cheer on the many contestants coursing through the city’s waterways.
The annual Houston regatta begins at 9 am on Saturday, March 22, at 7700 San Felipe St. west of Voss St., ending at 1019 Commerce St. at Allen’s Landing. The award ceremony at the finish line will occur at 1:30 pm. Registration for the race closes 15 minutes before the race begins.