'We're Back': Head Of The Charles Will Happen In October

The "long wait is finally over" for Boston's Head of the Charles Regatta, which will return this fall after last year's iteration of the annual rowing event was canceled due to the pandemic, officials announced Monday.

Organizers will run a full schedule on Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 24, plus an additional two hours of racing on Friday, Oct. 22, expanding to a third day to offer additional scheduling flexibility.

"We're Back," the event's website proclaimed on Monday. "Our long wait is finally over and we look forward to hosting the world rowing community back in Boston this fall," Regatta Executive Director Fred Schoch said in a statement. "As circumstances surrounding the pandemic have continued to significantly improve in Massachusetts, we want to let our community know that we are in full planning mode for October and look forward to providing a safe event for our competitors, our volunteers, and our spectators."

Officials will release event health and safety protocols this summer. The annual event, described as the largest rowing race in the world, typically attracts more than 11,000 competitors every year and large crowds of observers along the Charles River in Boston and Cambridge.

Last fall, organizers canceled the event and asked athletes to compete on their own preferred body of water or on an ergometer.