Raft Race

From Chester Wiki

The Raft Race takes place every year on the River Dee in Chester.

Starting upstream beyond the south of the Meadows, the course runs 400 metres to the weir, where competitors abandon their rafts and wade through the shallows to the finishing post at the Old Dee Bridge at Handbridge.

Up to 30 teams enter every year and there is usually a theme. Rafts may be built from almost anything, within competition rules. Competitors are allowed to gain an unfair advantage by throwing substances at each other, such as sawdust, eggs and fruit.

Prizes are awarded for the fastest time travelled over the course and for the best interpretation of the theme.

The river banks between the Meadows and the Old Dee Bridge get very crowded with spectators, who turn out to cheer the teams on and laugh at the antics. They risk getting pelted with whatever the teams are throwing at each other.

The 2007 race takes place on Sunday 8 July.