Rain Dampens Annual Regatta

Hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered along the river bank this weekend to watch the 45th annual Head of the Charles Regatta—which featured a record 8,800 athletes and 210 international teams this year—but rainy weather led to decreased fan attendance yesterday.

Approximately 121,000 spectators attended the event on Saturday, while 84,000 came yesterday, according to estimates by the Massachusetts State Police. Head of the Charles Spokesman Jim Connelly said the event normally attracts about 120,000 fans on Saturday and 170,000 on Sunday. But he added that the decrease in turnout this year was not completely unexpected, due to the weather.

Except for a few concerns about the wind, Connelly said, the weather did not affect the races themselves.

“It’s a water sport, so rowers are used to getting wet,” he said.

But for the vendors who set up tents beside the races, the rain had a detrimental effect.

Representatives from Chipotle Mexican Grill and Boloco said their tents— which feature interactive activities— saw increased visitor traffic on Saturday, but they failed to maintain that level of traffic on Sunday. Boloco, which had two tents, decided to close one tent earlier than originally planned.

Henry Herrera, of Herrera’s Mexican Grill, said that, in the ten years his restaurant has participated in the Regatta, his tent experienced the slowest traffic this year. Part of the reason, he said, was that the “bad weather forecast” kept some tourists away, but he also cited increased competition as another explanation.

According to Connelly, the number of vendors increased this year because of event administrators’ efforts to court more businesses, including smaller chains.

Caitlin C. Leibert, the New England marketing manager for Chipotle, said that the chain decided to set up a tent for the first time this weekend because “the regatta is a classic Boston event and represents a great opportunity to meet our customers.”

In spite of the rain, fans who attended the event said they were still able to enjoy themselves.

John McConnell, a Boston resident, said the regatta was an “incredible spectacle,” with “a pageant of vendors” that featured a variety of goods and services.