Cardboard regatta turns to Lake Anne after two-year hiatus

After a two-year hiatus, the Lake Anne Cardboard Regatta will return to Reston on Aug. 13.

The race, which is organized by the Reston Museum, will feature more than 50 life-size boats created by different teams from cardboard and duct tape.

Teams of all ages will take part in heats by rowing out to bouys and back to the docks. This year, organizers expect more than double the number of boats that first hit the water at its inaugural event.

Museum Director Alexandra Campbell said the organization looks forward to adding more boats to the race this year.

“We appreciated everyone who came out in 2019 to either participate in the race or spectate but I think the pandemic has given us a new sense of what it means to provide community events. We are looking forward to being able to have this event after a two-year hiatus,” Campbell wrote.

Prizes will be given to the fastest boat in each categories and winners of a design contest. The “Titanic” award is given to the boat that sinks in the “most epic fashion,” according to event organizers.

Registration for the event is open online.

The boats can be as thick as participants desire but must be entirely made out of cardboard and can’t be bigger than six by 12 feet.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the museum, which Campbell says has maneuvered by seeking out new funding and more programming than in the past.

This year, the museum is kicking off a new guided historic walking tour that explores Reston’s founding.

The 30-minute tour is free and advanced registration is required. The initiative is supported by the Virginia Tourism Corporation Grant in partnership with George Mason University and Reston Association.