Garda Boat Race and Festival on August 15: Tradition and Competition
Ferragosto, the day of the boat race. As every year on August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the patron saint of the town, the crews from Garda’s districts compete in the waters of the gulf. There are nine districts: each fields four rowers, who row in the traditional style of Garda fishermen. The boats used in the race are also built models of those used daily for fishing on the lake. The rowers are all from Garda, which is almost an unmatched feat: what other town along the Riviera can boast 36 practitioners of traditional rowing? The organization is managed by the municipality of Garda, in collaboration with the local Bisse La Rocca league and the Pro Loco. The event begins at 11:30 AM with the blessing of the race flag in the town streets. At 5 PM, the town square comes alive with a fair showcasing ancient arts and crafts, organized by the theatrical company of Sipario Medievale di Verona: activities continue until midnight, re-enacting the trades of blacksmiths, potters, rope makers, weavers, wool spinners, scribes, and decorators. In the evening, the town also comes alive with street performers. At 7 PM, there is a gathering of the crews followed by a parade through the town streets. The procession is led by King Otto I, Queen Adelaide, and the Great Magna Aole, figures of Garda’s carnival. Alongside them, the Drum Group of Brisighella in traditional costumes. The rowers march carrying the long oars they will use in the race — one oar each. Rowing is alternated. At 9 PM, the “boats in the water” begins: the three elimination heats that will determine the finalist districts. They race on a 400-meter stretch of water, to be covered three times, with two dramatic turns around buoys. The first-place finisher of each heat advances to the final, scheduled around 10 PM. Immediately afterward follows the awards ceremony, and fireworks are set for 10:30 PM. The district to beat is Borgo: they have won the Palio in all the last three editions. They are once again considered a strong favorite, fielding the formidable quartet of Pierfrancesco Maffezzoli, Massimo Favetta, Silvano Dall’Agnola, and Roberto Avanzi. Rosa, Porto, Corsetto, and Spagna all seem capable of doing very well: the competition is tough. Antiche Mura, Pio, and Spagna are seen as outsiders. Piazza, the newest district formed three years ago and admitted to the Palio in 2020, draws curiosity: two women will be in the boat, marking the first time this has happened in the Assumption race. Each district has a two-color banner (matching the colors of the rowers’ shirts) and a fish symbol. Rosa is green-black with a lavarello (wels catfish) emblem, Antiche Mura is yellow-red with a perch, Corsetto is yellow-black with a carpione (a type of fish), Pio is blue-red with an eel, Losa is red-black with a pike, Borgo is yellow-green with a trout on the flag, Porto is yellow-blue with a sardine, Spagna is green-red with a tench, and Piazza is blue-azure with a bluefin tuna.
