Make the Most of the Boat Race in Hammersmith & Fulham

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Some great vantage points to view Oxford against Cambridge

There will be big screens in Bishops Park and Furnivall Gardens. Picture: HF Council

April 3, 2025

There are lots of options to view this year’s University Boat Race in Hammersmith and Fulham.

The annual competition between Oxford and Cambridge takes place on Sunday 13 April with the 79th Women's Boat Race staring at 1.21pm and the 170th Men's Boat Race starting at 2.21pm.

The Fulham Fan Park in Bishops Park, (SW6 6EA) will open at 11am and close at 5pm. It is located near the start of the race, next to Putney Bridge.

Fulham Football Club's Riverside Stand will have 14 screens showing the race. There will also be a big screen in Bishops Park with live BBC coverage.

The Fulham Brass Band will play in the park from midday, and there'll be an array of street food and refreshment on offer along Fulham FC Riverside. Seats and toilets will also be available in the park.

The Hammersmith Fan Park in Furnivall Gardens, (W6 9DG)  will open at 11am and close at 5pm. It is located at the two-mile mark, the midpoint of the 4.25-mile race. There will be a big screen by the river with live BBC coverage.

Food will be on offer from Hide & Greek, YouBao, GameKeeper and Jeco Bowl. Drinks will be on sale from Jim & Tonic. Seats and toilets will also be available.

There are tons of good spots to watch the races along the local stretch of the Thames.

Food and drink will be available in the two Fan Parks. Picture: HF Council

You can visit some of the pubs along the course:

• The Black Lion
• Blue Anchor
• The Blue Boat
• The Crabtree
• The Dove
• The Old Ship
• Rutland Arms

The Men's race has been an annual fixture on the Thames since 1856, only interrupted for the First and Second World Wars and in 2020. In the overall standings, Oxford trail Cambridge in both the Men's (81-87) and Women's (30-48) races. Several big names have taken part in the legendary event. House actor Hugh Laurie was in the 1980 Cambridge crew and Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell returned to rowing 15 years after his triumph in Athens 2004. He joined the winning 2019 Cambridge crew at 46 years old to become the oldest-ever Boat Race competitor.

Hammersmith Bridge will be closed to pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters from 10am to 4pm. Barnes Bridge will also be closed on the day.

Visit any of the clubs along the riverside during the boat races if you want to learn more about rowing.

Fulham Reach Boat Club, set up in 2014, is based at Distillery Wharf, Fulham, and offers training courses just 200m from Hammersmith Bridge.

Furnivall Sculling Club in Hammersmith welcomes everyone whether you're interested in rowing competitively or just for fun.

Sons of the Thames is a club based on the Tideway, just upstream of Hammersmith Bridge, which combines social events and competition rowing.

And there's also the Auriol Kensington Rowing Club at Lower Mall, Hammersmith, which bills itself as the friendliest rowing club on the river. Find all the information you need on the Auriol Kensington Rowing Club website.

Meanwhile, for more details about the boat races, including the history of the race and crew announcements, visit the official website.

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