The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is a festival event which has been held annually since 1974 in

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( Larrakia: ') is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population, with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australi ...

, Australia at

Mindil Beach Mindil Beach is a beach in the Northern Territory of Australia, located in the suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The Gardens, near Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Sunse ...

. The inaugural event had 63 entries and was attended by about 22,000 people which was about half of Darwin's population at the time.

Format

Participants create boats using empty

beer can A drink can (or beverage can) is a metal container with a polymer interior designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Drink cans exteriors ...

soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...

cans, soft drink bottle and milk cartons. Up to 30,000 cans have been used for a single boat. The vessels are not tested for

seaworthiness Seakeeping ability or seaworthiness is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea sta ...

, prior to water events, and those that fall apart are part of the day's entertainment. A great many sundry events go along with the

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

, including concerts, sandcastles, a

thong The thong is a Clothing, garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional Ceremony, ceremonies or Sport, competitions. Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a b ...

-throwing contest, novelty hat competition, and the "Henley-on-Mindil" competition (named after the

Henley-on-Todd Regatta The Henley-on-Todd Regatta is a "boat" race held annually in the typically dry sandy bed of the Todd River in Alice Springs, Australia. It began – and continues – cautiously as a joke at the expense of the original British colonisers and th ...

), where participants run their "

boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

" around like ''

Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was ...

'' cars.

History

The Regatta was begun in 1974 by Darwin businessmen, Lutz Frankenfeld and Paul Rice-Chapman, as a way to clean up beer cans littering Darwin's streets. This was the same year the Darwin Rocksitters Club began and, in their early years, they were often closely associated with each other as they were both viewed as celebrating the drinking culture of the Northern Territory. The Darwin Regional Tourism Promotion Association was the organiser of the event until 1978 when it came under the aegis of the combined

Lions Clubs Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

of Darwin. In the 1980s, the Regatta had about 18 classes, which included motorised beer can boats. The 2014 Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta took place on 6 July 2014, watched by 15,000 people and attended by visitors from all over Australia. The winner of the first beer can regatta was Kevin Jaques driving the Darwin Powerboat Club's entry "Pistol Knight". Des Hoare the cricketer and then Sales Manager for Swan Brewery Darwin, presented Jaques with the winning cheques totalling $1,000, doubled because the beer can boat used only Swan beer cans. As Jaques used his 80 hp Mercury Motor he was also presented with a Mercury First sticker. The perpetual trophy is held within the NT Museum storage area and the keepsake trophy is on the mantlepiece at Jaques' home. Jaques holds copies of the news clippings and the photographs of the presentations. In 2020, the Beer Can Regatta was cancelled due to the

COVID pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...

. In its place, on 8 August a much smaller, 4-hour, Mini-Regatta was held in which the vessels were made of milk cartons. Located at

Darwin Waterfront Precinct The Darwin Waterfront Precinct is a tourist area in the Northern Territory of Australia in Darwin City. Restaurants, bars, a wave pool and a man-made beach are available for local community and tourists. It is located five minutes’ walk fr ...

, instead of the usual

venue where as many as 15,000 watched the races, only a few hundred spectators attended. In 2021, the Regatta was back at Mindil Beach on Sunday 5 September from 10am to 5pm, and in 2022 it was on 26 June. In 2023 it was held on 16 July.

References

External links

* {{coord, 12, 26, 42, S, 130, 49, 52, E, region:AU-NT, display=title Recurring events established in 1974 Festivals in the Northern Territory Tourist attractions in Darwin, Northern Territory Beer festivals in Australia 1974 establishments in Australia Annual sporting events in Australia Boat shows in Australia Boat festivals Sport in Darwin, Northern Territory Boat races in Australia

Format

History

See also

References

External links