The Cambridge Dragon Boat 2026 Festival has officially launched to celebrate its 20th year – with Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust promising everyone who takes part will make a ‘meaningful difference’ to cancer care in the region, by raising funds for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
The launch celebrations kicked off in true Dragon Boat style – with a full-size Dragon Boat at the UK head office of sponsors Illumina. Joining forces for another fun-filled event were staff from Illumina, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) who are raising money for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, and organisers NewWave Events.
This year’s festival, which takes place on the River Cam at Fen Ditton on Saturday September 5th, has a fundraising target of £50,000 and will once again see Cambridge Radio reporting live from the riverbank on the day.
The festival takes place on the River Cam at Fen Ditton with teams paddling 30ft boats up the river with a drummer at the front beating time and a helm at the tail.
Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, which is set to be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in 2030, will bring world-leading research and clinical excellence under one roof, changing the story of cancer, and improving the lives of cancer patients across the UK and beyond.
Built over seven floors, the new hospital will house three world-leading University of Cambridge research institutes focussing on early cancer detection and prevention, integrated cancer medicine and precision breast cancer medicine. The co-location of research institutes embedded inside a brand new NHS hospital will accelerate and bring new innovations to the bedside faster, to help doctors and scientists detect cancer earlier and treat it more precisely.
For the third year in a row, a team from the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital project will be in the water, helping to raise money and awareness to bring this specialist facility to the East of England region.
Speaking at the launch event, ACT’s Corporate Partnership Manager Natasha Robertson said: “We are thrilled that Illumina is sponsoring our Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival for the third year running. Their continued support shows a real commitment to helping change the story of cancer in Cambridge and beyond.”
“The event is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to come together, have a great team day and raise vital funds for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. We’re confident that together we can raise over £50,000 this year, with every team taking part helping to make a meaningful difference to patients and their families dealing with cancer.”
Natasha Robertson, ACT Corporate Partnership Manager
Illumina is a global genomics and human health leader innovating the future of precision health, they develop DNA sequencing and array-based life sciences technologies to enable research discovery and personalised health.
Mark Robinson (L), VP & General Manager, UK & Ireland and Northern Europe, Illumina, said: “Illumina is delighted to once again join forces with ACT to support the 2026 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival, taking place on 5th September. Last year’s fun‑filled event raised an incredible amount to help build the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It’s a fantastic opportunity to give something back to the communities in which we live and work, and we can’t wait to make an even bigger impact this year.”
“We’re thrilled that this much-loved event is helping to raise the crucial funds needed to make the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital a reality. Our mission is to catch cancer earlier, act faster and change the story for every patient, and we couldn’t do it without the incredible support of our community and partners. We’ll once again be sending a brave team of patients and staff out onto the water – hopefully with a better finish than last year!”
John Spicer, Project Director for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital project
Lucy Morton, Executive Director of organisers NewWave Events, said: “We’re thrilled to be officially launching the 2026 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival with Illumina as our headline sponsor once again and of course our fantastic charity partner, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust. The event has gone from strength to strength over the last few years with team entries filling up and fundraising reaching record numbers year on year, so we’re so excited to see what the 2026 festival will bring!”
Whilst the event is raising vital funds to help build the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, everyone who signs up for the day knows they are signing up for a fun-filled day of team bonding and friendly competition.
Many of the teams take part in fancy dress with last year’s ‘best dressed’ award going to one of Illumina’s three teams – the ‘Rowfessors’ who dressed as mad professors in white lab coats, wild white wigs and stick-on eyebrows and moustaches. Highly Commended went to a team from the Rosie Maternity Hospital, dressed as characters from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Ark Colour Design, dressed as sunflowers.
How the race works
Races start at 10am, with a prize ceremony at the end of the day. Bankside entertainment and refreshments include traditional lion dance performances. There are also funfair style rides, with sponsors Illumina hosting family-friendly, fun activities including strawberry DNA extraction. Cambridge Radio will also be there on the day, reporting live from the riverbank.
Each team completes three heats, with the 12 fastest teams going through to the semi-finals. Three semi-final winners and the fastest runner-up go through to the final stage. Each boat seats up to 10 paddlers and 1 drummer. The racecourse is a 200m straight course with each race lasting anywhere between 55 and 90 seconds, with times affected by water flow and weather conditions.
Trophies are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place as well as to the highest placed mixed crew (minimum of five female paddlers), best dressed crew and top charity fundraiser. Medals also go to the top three crews and the highest placed mixed crew.
The good news for any teams thinking of entering is that you don’t need to be professionals to take part.
For more information and to register your team, sign up here or call NewWave Events on: (01536) 674 748.