Head of the Housatonic
Saturday - Sunday
October 11-12, 2025
The New Haven Rowing Club is thrilled to announce our first-ever TWO-DAY Head of the Housatonic Regatta, scheduled for Saturday/Sunday October 11-12, 2025.
See our full announcement below.
Head of the Housatonic to Expand to Two Days of Racing in 2025
Oxford, CT – January 8, 2025. The New Haven Rowing Club announced that it will expand the Head of the Housatonic Regatta to a two-day format, beginning this year. The inaugural two-day regatta is scheduled for Saturday/Sunday October 11-12, 2025, at Indian Well State Park in Shelton, Connecticut.
From its modest beginnings in 1994, the Head of the Housatonic has grown to become one of the largest one-day regattas on the East Coast, attracting high school, college, club, and masters rowers from Washington DC to Maine, and as far away as New Zealand. Held every year on Columbus Day weekend, the Head of the Housatonic provides an outstanding tune-up event with high-level competition for crews preparing for the Head of the Charles. In a typical year, more than 1,500 athletes participate across 700 entries, with scores more athletes turned away for lack of space.
The expanded format will include several new events and will make it easier for coaches to provide multiple racing opportunities to their athletes. Saturday will feature races for college, club, and masters rowers, while Sunday events will be dedicated to high school rowers. New events on the schedule include mixed masters eights and quads; junior novice singles, doubles, quads and fours; and a dedicated coxed quad race for experienced junior athletes.
The two-day regatta will have no entry caps for individual events, a welcome change from the waiting lists that were typical of the one-day version of the regatta.
“Hosting the Head of the Housatonic is the highlight of our year at New Haven Rowing Club,” said club President Matt Broder. “We offer great competition in a beautiful venue, and the two-day format will make the event even more appealing to coaches and athletes alike.” The club plans to share additional details about the expanded racing format and new regatta amenities in the months ahead, Broder said.
“The best fall head race experience I can remember in many, many years of coaching.” — 2024 Coach
“An outstanding competitive opportunity for our athletes.” — 2024 Coach
“Best run regatta and best volunteers anywhere.” — 2022 Competitor
“I’ve been attending the HOH for many years and one of the reasons is that it is a high quality, well run event!” — 2022 Competitor
