Does cardboard boat racing float your boat?

A flotilla of bobbing cardboard boats is an iconic and spectacular sight and a much-loved element of the Bristol Harbour Festival. Cardboard boat racing is back with a splash for 2023 – and it needs you!

Numerous mass launches will set sail from the Pontoon area near Prince Street Bridge throughout the festival weekend of Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July, and Bristol Harbour Festival organisers are now on the hunt for participants.

Families, schools and businesses are invited to take part in cardboard boat making workshops – ahead of launching their sea-faring cardboard crafted constructions into Bristol’s iconic Bristol Harbour as part of the July festival.

The result of the truly collaborative ‘My Future My Choice’ project between schools, universities, businesses, charities, the Royal Navy, families and community groups across Bristol, the cardboard boat making workshops and races support young people in thinking about their future as well as that of the city.

Last year’s festival saw over 100 cardboard boats take to the water, built by 700 school children in Bristol, with the first boat over the finish line built by Ashton Gate Primary School who claimed a £100 prize for the four successful young boat-makers. Families can join in the fun by buying a ticket for a public workshop here.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The Harbour Festival is at the centre of our internationally renowned cultural programme and the biggest showcase of Bristol’s culture and heritage that there is. The festival provides inspiration and entertainment for communities across the city as well as the thousands who travel huge distances to take in its sights and sounds. The cardboard boat races are always a highlight of the weekend’s festivities.”

This year will see primary school children in groups of four build a cardboard Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter. Any schools wishing to participate should contact My Future My Choice at info@myfuturemychoice.co.uk or 0117 3290387. More than 100 boats will once again be created with the £100 up for grabs once more for those who race their boat to victory at the 2023 Bristol Harbour Festival.

Sponsored by GWR, this year’s school races will offer free rail travel to Bristol Temple Meads, where participating students can catch the Packet Boat to boat building workshops taking place throughout the year. These will take place on the MV Balmoral, known as the 'people's liner' and once best known for coastal day trips. Having been lovingly restored by volunteers, it has a new lease of life and is now moored in Bristol outside M Shed.

Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Paul Goggin, said: “The cardboard boat races are a pivotal element of the city’s iconic Harbour Festival. Encompassing school, business and public outreach and involvement, the races engage the entire community of Bristol. They are also an absolute must-see spectacle and it’s an honour to be launching them at this year’s Festival in celebration of Bristol’s strong maritime history. We’re all looking forward to seeing the creations this year’s cohort will mastermind - and of course how they will fare on the water!”

Sunday’s racing boats will this year be piloted by teams or families, who will bring to life models of the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter or The Matthew. Taking place on the historical ship, MV Balmoral, on both Saturday 1 and 8 July, tickets are now on sale here for the public to take part.

Businesses and groups of friends in the city are also encouraged to get involved, building cardboard boats to race around, carrying your intrepid team through a specifically developed course in the water. If your business would like to get involved, register here. Cardboard trophies will be awarded for speed, innovation, team spirit and sinking dramatically!

The workshops will shed light on the history of iconic Bristol vessels. Making the model follows the principles of shipbuilding - with all parts, equipment and guidance provided to make a strong watertight yacht in two hours. Tours of the MV Balmoral are also included in the ticket price to provide context to the importance of shipping today.

Hugh Thomas, Director of My Future My Choice, who specialise in bringing education and businesses together, said: “The cardboard boat races continue to flourish because of the energy and enthusiasm of the people who are involved, primarily for the benefit of young people. Come and join us and put your ship-building to the test!”

Infamous and long-serving street theatre group, Desperate Men Theatre Company, will also be entertaining visitors with music and comedy showcasing the heritage behind the Festival’s cardboard boat races, as well as the harbourside and MV Balmoral. Richard Headon at Desperate Men Theatre said: “This is an experiment with the ghosts of things that used to be, an inquiry into the principles of hauntology, more Scooby-don't than Scooby-doo!”

My Future My Choice www.myfuturemychoice.co.uk provides unique and innovative education services working with the charity The Bristol Initiative Charitable Trust. The Bristol Harbour Festival www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk will run Friday 14, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July 2023.

The Circus Playground on College Green at this year's Bristol Harbour Festival is being delivered as one of the activities under the City Centre and High Streets Recovery and Renewal programme, funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority’s Love Our High Streets project.

Bristol Harbour Festival is part of Bristol 650, a year-long celebration of all things Bristol: who we are, where we come from, what we’ve done - and where we’re going.