Regatta Flyer, 1860,   Cecil Higgins Art Gallery

The  pursuits of fishing,  painting, boating and swimming have always  drawn people to the River Ouse. The water, as it gently winds its way through the town, has served the leisure needs of Bedfordians throughout history.  The Regatta began life as an unofficial event in the first half of the nineteenth century, when on certain days hundreds of people in boats would crowd the river. It was made official in 1853, with organized races which people viewed from the crowded embankment, and  has been a regular fixture ever since.