Head of the Trent 2026 Features New Riverside Experience While Faryon Bridge Undergoes Revitalization

One of Trent University’s signature weekends, Head of the Trent (HOTT), runs Friday to Sunday and features a new riverside experience for this year’s homecoming while the Faryon Bridge undergoes revitalization.

Trent faculty, staff and athletes join the Peterborough Police Service and the Peterborough DBIA to help launch the 2026 HOTT. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The event brings athletes, alumni, families and community members to enjoy rowing races, varsity games and family-friendly programming. 

“Head of the Trent is a weekend people look forward to year after year, reconnecting them with Trent and the Peterborough region,” said Julie Davis, Trent vice president of external relations, marketing and communications. “This year’s new riverside viewing experience offers visitors a fresh way to be part of this longstanding tradition, whether they are discovering Head of the Trent for the first time or returning year after year.” 

The Faryon Bridge under constuction and revitalization to preserve its structural integrity, support safe daily use and protect its defining architectural features. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The HOTT Regatta is the heart of the event, hosted by the Peterborough Rowing Club. Over 1,400 rowers from across Ontario, Quebec, Western Canada, and the northern United States will compete in one of North America’s premier head races on the Otonabee River running through Trent’s Symons Campus.

Because of the Faryon Bridge revitalization, spectators can watch the regatta along the Otonabee, including Trent’s Founders Walk on the West Bank of Symons Campus. The Student Centre riverside is a primary hub of activity, including the Kids’ Zone. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., families can enjoy free activities including inflatables, lawn games, face painting and visits with animals. Kids can also meet Bluey and Bingo from the hit Australian-based TV show ‘Bluey’ from 11 a.m. to noon and Paw Patrol’s Chase and Marshall from 1 to 2 p.m. 

Kids enjoying HoTT with Bluey and Bingo in a past event. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

Beyond rowing, Trent Excalibur athletes are competing this weekend, with women’s and men’s rugby, soccer, and volleyball in action. 

Food and drink options include a free pancake breakfast, along with health and wellness educational opportunities on the Upper Bata Podium on Saturday. Food trucks are stationed near Bata Library and the campus pub, the Ceilie, is open during the festivities.

Alumni celebrations kick off Friday evening with the Trent Alumni Rowing & Rugby Social at Justin Chiu Stadium. Alumni from two of Trent’s longest-standing varsity programs will cheer on the Excalibur women’s rugby team alongside students and community members. Former Excalibur soccer players return to the field Saturday morning for the alumni soccer game.

Champlain College marks its 60th anniversary during Head of the Trent, with an anniversary brunch, guided college tours and a special Great Hall display featuring photographs, artifacts and stories spanning six decades of college life.

Increased Peterborough Police Service presence will be throughout HOTT and the City. This includes specialized units, such as the Police’s crowd management team, on hand during the festivities.

They will be assisting at any capacity or any location where they're required,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Reesor of the Peterborough Police Service. “We also have an additional (close to) 50 paid-duty officers that are in various points throughout the weekend to also increase our presence and our ability to respond to various locations and various situations that should arrive.”

Reesor assures the public that the additional focus on HOTT will not take away from the station’s regular police duties.

“We're doing this strategically without pulling officers away from their regular shift,” he explains. “The officers scheduled to be on shift aren't being depleted by having these additional officers available.”

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