Fulham Pier and The Boat Race Announce New Collaboration ahead of The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, Introducing Premium Hospitality and Fan Park Experience in 2026
Thursday, 29 January, London, UK – Fulham Pier and The Boat Race have today announced a new collaboration that will see Fulham Pier affirmed as a key riverside destination for The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, held this year on Saturday 4 April 2026 during Easter Weekend. The collaboration will introduce a premium hospitality experience set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most iconic sporting events.
Steeped in heritage and watched by millions around the globe, The Boat Race is a unique and enduring symbol of sporting tradition. First contested in 1829, it remains one of the most recognisable events in British sport, celebrated for its history, rivalry and unmistakable place on the River Thames.
For 2026, Fulham Pier will offer a fresh, contemporary way to experience this historic race from the heart of the Championship Course. It will bring together front-row river views, open social spaces, a free-to-access riverside Fan Park alongside Bishops Park and premium hospitality. Visitors can expect a buzzing atmosphere of live entertainment, DJs and a vibrant food hall, alongside interactive elements such as Rowcave, the ultimate rowing race simulation where visitors can compete for the fastest time and a place on the leaderboard.
With unrivalled river views, and building on the successful opening of Fulham Pier last year, the 2026 collaboration will introduce premium hospitality packages. Hosted Blues’ Club packages will offer tiered options with inclusive food and drink and official Boat Race hosts, creating an elevated way to experience the race day atmosphere from the water’s edge for families, local audiences, couples and social groups alike.
Olympian and Oxford alumni Tim Foster, who won gold alongside Steve Redgrave in the Sydney Olympics, will be a speaker and host, alongside Kiwi Olympian Grace Prendergast, who rowed in the record-setting Cambridge crew in 2022.
Tim Foster commented: “The Boat Race remains one of the highlights of my rowing career and I’m looking forward to sharing my insight and recollections of the event from the comfort of the new premium hospitality space at Fulham Pier. The Boat Race was one of the greatest challenges of my career, and still a race I would like to have won!”
Building on the successful delivery of an Official Fan Park at Fulham Pier in 2025 alongside the Official Fan Park in Bishops Park, located beside the historic start of the Championship Course, the new collaboration draws on that experience as Fulham Pier joins The Boat Race’s existing hospitality to complement iconic venues including Thames Rowing Club and Mortlake Anglian and Alpha Boat Club. As anticipation builds for The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, Fulham Pier’s premium hospitality and Fan Park promise to offer a distinctive, contemporary perspective on a truly iconic sporting occasion. Fans can experience the full-course action from a big screen in next-door Bishop’s Park.
Director of Fulham Pier Glen Sutton said: “We’re proud to showcase our premium, elevated hospitality for The Boat Race, a moment that reflects the magic of London on the river. On Race Day, Fulham Pier will offer a welcoming riverside destination with front-row views and a range of ways to experience the event, from lively social spaces to elevated offerings for those looking to make a real occasion of the day”.
Siobhan Cassidy, Chair of The Boat Race Company, added: “We’re delighted to announce this new collaboration with Fulham Pier. The Boat Race, London’s ‘Party By the River’, is an iconic sporting and cultural event, known for celebrating British excellence, which our new premium hospitality experience embodies.”
The CHANEL J12 Boat Race will take place on the Championship Course – a 4.25-mile stretch of the tidal Thames between Putney and Mortlake known as the Tideway – on Saturday 4 April. The Women’s Race takes place at 14:21 followed by the Men’s Race at 15:21.
2025 saw Cambridge University win both the Men’s and Women’s Races, leaving the overall records as 88-81 in the favour of Cambridge Men and 49-30 in the favour of Cambridge Women.
The 2025 edition of The Boat Race was a record-breaking event, becoming the most watched female sporting event in the UK of the year at the time the event was held. It had a higher UK viewership than The Masters and Bahrain Grand Prix events held on the same weekend.
The 2026 event will be broadcast live on Channel 4 after the broadcaster won a competitive rights bid to become the exclusive free-to-air TV home of The Boat Race.
To find out more about Fulham Pier’s hospitality offering, visit https://www.fulhampier.com/page/boat-race-2026
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For all The Boat Race 2026 media enquiries please contact:
The PHA Group – [email protected]
For Fulham Pier media enquiries please contact:
Premier – [email protected]
About The Boat Race
The Boat Race was first raced by crews from Oxford and Cambridge University in 1829 and is now one of the world’s oldest and most famous amateur sporting events, offering an unrivalled educational experience to the student athletes who take part.
The world-famous sporting event between the UK’s two greatest universities has become synonymous with British tradition and excellence. The Boat Race has established itself as the epitome of amateur sport, raced by student athletes who combine academic rigour with elite physical prowess. There is no greater occasion.
The Boat Race takes place in London on the famous Championship Course that stretches over 4.25 miles of tidal Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake.
About Fulham Pier
Fulham Pier is London’s newest, all-encompassing riverside destination, offering a range of food and drink concepts, entertainment, hospitality and a full arts and culture programme on an iconic stretch of the River Thames. Situated between Hammersmith and Putney Bridge, Fulham Pier spans seven levels providing remarkable experiences, views and memories for all.
The expansive ground floor, accessed from the river boardwalk, is home to Riverside Market, a full gastronomic offering in a market-hall style concept. Beneath resides the Orange Box, a dedicated space to host cultural events and live programming with two serviced bars. Fulham Pier also consists of Brasserie Constance, a neighbourhood dining experience by local, Michelin starred chef Adam Byatt; the boutique Fulham Pier Hotel, a Health Spa opening in 2026, and Markers, presented by FIS, a flexible event space for the community. Lighthouse Social, an exclusive Members Club, sits atop Fulham Pier with a private roof terrace.