
PORT OF DOVER REGATTA RETURNS
2026
* Date to be announced
Port of Dover Regatta 2026
PORT OF DOVER REGATTA 2026
The countdown is on for next Port of Dover Regatta! Taking place in 2026 (dates to be announced) promises an exciting blend of water-based thrills, live entertainment, local talent, and community spirit.
Last year’s Regatta featured its biggest line-up of water activities to date across two days, with the Port of Dover proudly welcoming Royal Navy ships, offering visitors the rare opportunity to step aboard and explore these iconic vessels up close.
Dragon Boat Racing
The Dragons will be back for the 2026 Dover Regatta!
Join in for an ocean odyssey at this year’s Port of Dover Regatta, where we’ll be holding Dragon Boat Races!
Trophy for 1st place.
Medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
More information available soon.
Event Schedule – TBC
2025 Charities
Port of Dover are pleased to announce the charities that they will be raising funds for this year are The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and Our Finest Dour
The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust provides financial assistance and support to the Royal Navy and Royal marine personnel and their families in times of need.
To learn more about this wonderful charity check out their website
Our Finest Dour is a project which aims to raise awareness of the River Dour in Dover. The Dour contains rare chalk stream habitat and is home to many exciting species such as brown trout, kingfisher and grey wagtail. The provide a range of activities to support the health of the River Dour;
River Cleans – Between April and November (when one can access the river) WCCP organises regular litter cleans for local people to help care for the river. Rubbish in the river is an ongoing issue with a significant negative environmental and visual impact on the town.
Riverfly Surveys – WCCP coordinates a programme of citizen science volunteer riverfly surveys, for which we provide the training and equipment etc. Survey data is fed back to the Riverfly Partnership and provides an opportunity to monitor the health of the river. It is a recognised method by the Environment Agency so can trigger further investigation.
River Education – Run regular sessions on the river for local schools, where they get the opportunity to directly interact with the river, while learning about its global importance, special wildlife and vulnerable nature due to over abstraction.
Community Engagement – Engage with a wide range of stakeholders about the river’s importance as a chalk stream and to Dover itself.
Ecology – WCCP works with landowners, the Environment Agency and others to find ways to improve the ecological integrity of the river. This includes physical interventions as well as information campaigns.
To find our more about this wonderful charity check out their website
SPONSORS 2025
At DFDS we have 12,300 employees, we bring in DKK 26.9bn revenue, as well as 20+ countries connected by our ferry routes and logistics solutions.
DFDS has since its foundation in 1866 built a unique infrastructure of ferry routes connecting European countries with each other as well as with Türkiye. We mostly transport freight units on the routes in addition to around 5 million passengers in normal years.
We also offer logistics services rooted in the regions served by our ferry routes. They range from door-door transports of full-loads to complex solutions for major industrials.
Go to their website for more information.
Vertex Marine Ltd, the go to company for all your welding & fabrication needs.
With a combined 40 years’ experience within their management team, we have established a reputation as a high-quality workforce and are known as reliable individuals, this has been achieved working within the marine and industrial industries. They pride ourselves in top quality work covering all aspects of welding & fabrication.
They are situated within the southeast of England, covering all the coastline within a 3 hour call out period and are able to mobilise our team nationally.
They offer a range of serivices;
Coded welding
Pipe fabrication / Welding
Sheet & Plate fabrication
Marine & industrial engineering
Go to their website for more information.
The Churchill Group is a specialist soft services facilities management business. Our purpose is to care about the inside and outside spaces that serve our public and private sector customers.
From offices to stations, or shopping centres to schools, from social housing to the green outdoors, we help people to love the spaces they are in.
Our specialist services include cleaning, security and grounds maintenance, and through them we keep spaces clean, safe and well managed to create positive impacts for clients, colleagues, the public and the local communities of which we are a part.
Go to their website for more information.
Dover Regatta Travel Advice
We strongly encourage to you come by foot and public transport via the main entrance through the underpass from town centre to the waterfront.
Please note we expect high traffic volumes and that there is limited parking in the area with a road closure in place on the Waterloo Crescent and Esplanade for the event.
Car Parking:
Please note parking is extremely limited on the seafront. We strongly encourage you to come by foot and public transport, Bus Routes & Train Routes
Town Centre Car Parks: Find a carpark
DOVER REGATTA SAFETY AND SECURITY
The safety of all visitors to this event is a priority. To make the Regatta a safe place for everyone, security screening will take place at points of entry into the event. This will include the use of metal detectors and person and bag searches. Please note that searching is a condition of entry. Any person with illegal or prohibited items (see list below) or who does not want to be searched will be refused entry.
Visitors are strongly advised not to bring large bags or luggage to the event, as this may delay the searching process.
The following items are prohibited at the Regatta:
Knives (including pocketknives)
Work tools
Fireworks
Smoke canisters
Spray cans
Skateboards, scooters
Flares
Weapons
Dangerous or hazardous items
CS Gas
Nitrous Oxide
Illegal drugs
Any other items which may be considered to be unsafe or pose a risk to public safety and/or security.
Any article that is illegal will be confiscated and reported to the police. Items which are not illegal, but are prohibited, will need to be disposed of before entry to the event is permitted.
All visitors to the event are to be vigilant and must not leave bags and belongings unattended at any time. Any unattended item may be disposed of. If you see something suspicious, or something that does not feel right, please report it to a member of the police or security team.