Bringing warm temperatures and soft-enough winds, Mother Nature smiled on St. John's Wednesday morning, allowing a volunteer committee to give the go-ahead for the city's unique weather-dependent holiday.
The Royal St. John's Regatta was a "go" on Wednesday thanks to a unanimous vote by organizers, who had to decide whether the weather was calm enough to sustain hours of fixed-seat rowing races.
The Regatta is scheduled for the first Wednesday of August every year, but the ultimate decision is made early in the morning — before 6 a.m. — by event organizers who hold the power to shut down the city for the official holiday.
"We take it very seriously," said Keith White, who helps lead the Regatta organizing committee. "There's a significant impact to the City of St. John's and to the businesses."
Royal St. John's Regatta organizer Keith White announces the "go" decision on Aug. 7, 2024. (Garrett Barry / CTV News)
The closed-door meeting is held without cellphones to prevent outside influence and leaks. And Wednesday's "go" decision meant thousands had the day off of work, and flocked to Quidi Vidi Lake to take in the spectacle.
The fixed-seat rowing races are the backdrop for a carnival-like atmosphere, filled with snacks, games of chance, music and prizes.
"We were all down here as kids, my parents had eight of us and we were all down here in playpens," said Marie Lewis, who is keeping her family's Plinko game alive at the Regatta.
"It's just kind of the excitement of it, the energy of it, the happiness when all the kids are upside down and jumping up and full of cotton candy and excited they won a little teddy bear."
There were 75 teams registered to race Wednesday and about 750 rowers, according to White.
Many vendor's booths at the Royal St. John's Regatta support charitable organizations of minor-league sports fundraisers. (Garrett Barry / CTV News)
The holiday is unique in the country — and unlike most other cities, where August's holiday is taken on a Monday to form a long weekend.
Some in St. John's would prefer that approach, but their lobbying hasn't won much support in the city's highest offices.
"St. John's is a unique city. Newfoundland and Labrador thrives itself on being unique," Mayor Danny Breen said. "So why would we want to change something that makes us special?"
The Royal St. John's Regatta is at least 200 years old — records date back to 1816 — but organizers believe it's highly likely there were similar, organized events even before that year.
Lately, the weather-sensitive holiday has also spawned a newer tradition — a risky game of chance often called "Regatta Roulette," where partiers head to pubs and bars the night before the Regatta is set to take place in hopes they'll get a whole day off of work to nurse any hangovers.
That tradition is being folded into official Regatta events — on Tuesday night, an official Regatta Eve concert was held near Quidi Vidi Lake.
"It's been building over the last number of years," Breen said. "People in St. John's, they love it. Last night … it was the biggest crowd I've seen here."
Nearly half a million households were in the dark Friday as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby wreaked havoc on southern Quebec.
A passenger plane crashed into a gated residential community in Brazil's Sao Paulo state Friday, killing all 61 people aboard and leaving a smouldering wreck, officials and the airline said.
A hiker was found dead after a three-day search in central Alberta.
Refugee athlete Manizha Talash was disqualified from the B-Girl breaking competition at the Olympics for wearing a cape with the words 'Free Afghan Women' during her breaking battle on Friday.
A group of scuba divers had the rare opportunity to swim with an 'extremely elusive' shark off B.C.'s South Coast this week, and the incredible encounter was captured on video.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump headed to Montana for a Friday night rally in hopes of ousting the state's Democratic senator, but his plane first had to divert to an airport on the other side of the Rocky Mountains because of a mechanical issue, according to airport staff.
The Crown has made its sentence submissions for Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man found guilty of withholding his daughter to prevent her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
A worker has died after being attacked by two polar bears off the eastern coast of Baffin Island in Nunavut.
Health Canada has published an expanded recall for cannabis extract products sold by iNaturally Organic Inc. due to incorrect values on the products' labels.
Friday would have been Layna Brown's 40th birthday. Instead, it was a day family members spent at B.C. Children's Hospital, as her eight-year-old son Tristan Dyck fights for his life.
This week, Vancouver School Board chair Victoria Jung decided enough was enough – and walked away from ABC.
A group of scuba divers had the rare opportunity to swim with an 'extremely elusive' shark off B.C.'s South Coast this week, and the incredible encounter was captured on video.
Toronto police say six men are in custody and two others are at large after a victim was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and left in a remote area with serious injuries following an incident at a karaoke bar.
The RCMP is interviewing witnesses connected to Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal, Premier Doug Ford’s office confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Friday.
Canadian beach volleyball players Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson will settle for silver at the Paris Games.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city is hoping upcoming water restrictions will have "no impact" on businesses.
The province says no changes are coming to Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine availability, despite what appear to be claims from a UCP MLA that the government has discussed banning the shot.
Mounties out of Chateh say two individuals are in custody following an operation in the northern Alberta community on Friday evening.
Ottawa area Liberal MP and cabinet minister Jenna Sudds has responded to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe's request for financial help to support the city's flagging transit system.
A storm system bringing a record amount of rain soaked the capital Friday, as the remnants of tropical storm Debby move across the country.
A major storm system in eastern Ontario impacted multiple regions on Friday, including Cornwall, Ont.
Nearly half a million households were in the dark Friday as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby wreaked havoc on southern Quebec.
Jean-Francois Roberge, Quebec's minister of the French language, spoke to CTV News to clarify the new directives and respond to the criticisms in recent weeks.
A man was seriously injured following a collision late on Friday in Longueuil.
A man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for a homicide in Edmonton is in custody after he was arrested in the United States.
A teenage girl was taken to hospital on Friday after a serious crash on the QEII.
Mounties out of Chateh say two individuals are in custody following an operation in the northern Alberta community on Friday evening.
A Cape Breton man has died after he was struck and killed by a vehicle in Waycobah, N.S., Wednesday evening.
The Nova Scotia RCMP is trying to identify a man who allegedly left garbage and urine outside an Antigonish mosque last month as part of what police are calling an incident “motivated by hate.”
Feed Nova Scotia says food bank up use is up again in the province for the third quarter in a row.
A post-secondary student is warning car owners after her vehicle was stolen less than two days after she moved to Winnipeg.
A Manitoba First Nation is filing a lawsuit against the city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba, and the federal government, alleging that land, including The Forks, is the unceded territory of their nation.
Ten beagles recused from animal testing will be getting new leases on life in Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario.
The Crown has made its sentence submissions for Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man found guilty of withholding his daughter to prevent her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Sask. Party and the NDP are weighing in on economic issues less than three months before voters head to the polls.
A 25-year-old Calgary man has been charged after Saskatchewan Highway Patrol seized 8.75 million cigarettes following the inspection of a semi along Highway 1 near Swift Current earlier this summer.
Police in Stratford, Ont. say they’re looking at a fatal shooting incident, which escalated from an ongoing neighbour dispute, to see if there’s anything they can learn from it.
A Stratford man shot in the head during a gun rampage that left two dead and two injured is speaking out. David Tokley will soon mark his 44th birthday inside a London hospital where he is recovering from skull and brain surgery, few expected he would survive.
A youth was sprayed with a noxious substance on Friday, setting off a search for two armed people.
Saskatchewan advocates and non-profits are joining together to call for the prevention of in-custody deaths as part of a national solidarity movement.
A 25-year-old man has been charged with sexual assault after a teenage girl was assaulted at the Saskatoon exhibition.
A federal labour tribunal has deemed rail workers non-essential, opening the door to a strike in under two weeks that could bring Canada’s supply chain screeching to a halt.
The collision that closed Hwy. 11 near Callander on Friday morning involved a tractor-trailer and a tow truck towing an OPP cruiser.
A 37-year-old from the U.S. state of Wisconsin has been charged after police spotted a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 17 in North Shore Township, near Blind River, Ont.
The RCMP is interviewing witnesses connected to Ontario’s Greenbelt scandal, Premier Doug Ford’s office confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Friday.
A Stratford man shot in the head during a gun rampage that left two dead and two injured is speaking out. David Tokley will soon mark his 44th birthday inside a London hospital where he is recovering from skull and brain surgery, few expected he would survive.
Dire financial straits are leading droves of Olympic athletes to sell images of their bodies to subscribers on OnlyFans — known for sexually explicit content — to sustain their dreams of gold at the Games.
Lucan residents saw an increased police presence in the area this afternoon, with Middlesex OPP on the scene in the area of William Street, near Frank Street.
A heavy police presence flooded the Township of Springwater Ont., as emergency response teams searched for a male suspect in the area.
On Friday, Taylor Rae kicked off day two of Boots and Hearts.
Barrie police arrested a man twice within 24 hours. It all started when police responded to a report of a male breaking into a former Sears in the Georgian Mall.
A dedicated team of volunteers has taken on the task of cleaning floating debris out of Lake St. Clair -- sparing boaters from costly damage and potential injury.
OPP in Leamington are investigating a fatal collision involving a pedestrian.
On June 29, just before 9:30 p.m., officers were told that a man had walked through the area with the knife, before stealing the bike from the front of a residence and leaving on foot.
Fourteen people were arrested Thursday after investigators with British Columbia's anti-organized crime task force raided an alleged illegal gambling house on Vancouver Island.
The Ministry of the Attorney General has announced a new leader for the province's police watchdog.
Mounties in Nanaimo say a fire that damaged a downtown restaurant early Friday morning was most likely set intentionally.
A camper in B.C.'s south Okanagan is facing a "hefty" fine after lighting a campfire during the ongoing ban, local Mounties say.
Mounties in Kamloops are investigating after thieves used a pickup truck to break into a Lululemon store at the Aberdeen Mall early Monday morning.
Mounties in the South Okanagan are asking for the public’s help to identify a person of interest they say may be connected with a series of thefts in the region.
After three years of construction and $77.6 million, the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre opened its doors on Aug. 10, 2023.
With their season on the line, the Lethbridge Bulls refused to lose Thursday, defeating defending WCBL champion Okotoks 5-4 at Spitz Stadium.
The latest rent report from Rentals.ca shows new listings for a one-bedroom in Lethbridge now average $1,402 a month, up 19.5 per cent from this time last year.
A hitchhiking stuff lobster is making its way across the country from P.E.I. to Alberta and has recently arrived in northeastern Ontario.
A 37-year-old from the U.S. state of Wisconsin has been charged after police spotted a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 17 in North Shore Township, near Blind River, Ont.
Sault city council will debate a motion next week that would call on the province to increase the speed limit on Highway 17 from Sault Ste Marie to Thessalon.
Mother Nature smiled on St. John's Wednesday morning, allowing a volunteer committee to give the go-ahead for the city's unique weather-dependent holiday, the Royal St. John's Regatta.
More people are being released from Newfoundland and Labrador's largest correctional facility with nowhere to go home to, and experts say housing shortages, unco-ordinated community supports and a high number of inmates on pretrial detention are to blame.
A University of Alberta criminologist says the recent denial of a public hearing for a Labrador man detained by police over a social media post shows the province's police complaints system is set up to protect officers.
A 400-acre ranch in B.C.'s Okanagan has hit the market for $2.5 million and one of the property's selling features is a hobbit-hole-inspired house that has been named one of Canada's most wish-listed Airbnbs.
The Calgary Police Service is sharing heartwarming photos of an officer reunited with the young child he saved over the weekend.
Flair Airlines was ordered to compensate two passengers after a B.C. tribunal found there was no evidence a bird strike actually caused a flight cancellation.
A whole decade later, there are calls to bring back a trend which brought attention and donations to a good cause.
After two years of owning a service dog, Charlene Izuka was inspired to share her experience and teach others about service dogs through a children's book.
A Quebec man swimming in debt has been living out of his car for the last month, chronicling the experience on TikTok.
Judy Gordon was travelling in Newfoundland last spring, looking for inspiration. The Nova Scotia-based artist was booked for a solo exhibition in Halifax in August and she needed a subject or idea to transform into something eye-catching and striking for patrons.
William Hui did not cheat. He set his own rules and then planned his route carefully, determined to make it all the way to Tijuana without flying or using Greyhound and Amtrak.
The Alberta government launched a registration portal for Jasper residents to tour the townsite on buses "in the coming days."
Ottawa area Liberal MP and cabinet minister Jenna Sudds has responded to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe's request for financial help to support the city's flagging transit system.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to slap tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, aluminum, critical minerals and other products, backing calls from industry for Canada to act in alignment with its allies.
'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King was released on bail Friday after spending more than a week in jail on Crown allegations that he breached his bail conditions.
Health Canada has published an expanded recall for cannabis extract products sold by iNaturally Organic Inc. due to incorrect values on the products' labels.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall Friday for a coconut product due to possible salmonella contamination.
Danes in central Copenhagen on Thursday marked the return to supermarket shelves of fiery South Korean ramen noodles that had been banned for being too spicy, a decision that has since been partly reversed.
A pair of American astronauts may be asked to wait six more months in space before returning to earth, NASA officials acknowledged Wednesday.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia are staring into an abyss of their own making – a new "super-black" material that absorbs almost all visible light that reaches it.
Turkiye has blocked access to the popular video game platform Roblox over concerns about content that could lead to child abuse, the country's justice minister said.
A project years in the making in a galaxy far, far away marked a major milestone Thursday night.
A four-part docuseries on The Tragically Hip and film shorts from Oscar-winner Torill Kove and actor Connor Jessup are among the homegrown additions to the Toronto International Film Festival.
Rapper Travis Scott was arrested at a Paris hotel after an altercation with a security guard, French prosecutors said Friday.
The country's two main railways warned Friday they will lock out their workers in less than two weeks unless the two sides can agree on new contracts, lending fresh weight to the threat of a work stoppage that would snarl supply chains nationwide.
A recent Rentals.ca and Urbanation survey shows average rental rates rose 5.9 per cent across the country compared to this time last year, but in Halifax it's a different story.
Canada's economy shed a net 2,800 jobs in July, as gains in full-time work were offset by part-time job losses, while the unemployment rate remained at a 30-month high of 6.4 per cent, data showed on Friday.
A hitchhiking stuff lobster is making its way across the country from P.E.I. to Alberta and has recently arrived in northeastern Ontario.
Artist Alan Syliboy’s work – which captures the past, present and future of Indigenous culture – was on full display at the Dalhousie Art Gallery in Halifax on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Friday.
A 400-acre ranch in B.C.'s Okanagan has hit the market for $2.5 million and one of the property's selling features is a hobbit-hole-inspired house that has been named one of Canada's most wish-listed Airbnbs.
The title of Olympic medallist is slowly starting to sink in for Winnipeg's Skylar Park, who is still flying high after her bronze medal win Thursday in France.
Refugee athlete Manizha Talash was disqualified from the B-Girl breaking competition at the Olympics for wearing a cape with the words 'Free Afghan Women' during her breaking battle on Friday.
Canadian beach volleyball players Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson will settle for silver at the Paris Games.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say there has been a 'sharp increase' in the number of fatal motorcycle crashes across the province in recent weeks, calling the trend 'senseless and preventable.'
U.S. federal safety authorities say they are seeking information on a crash and fire involving a Tesla Cybertruck that killed a driver of the futuristic new pickup.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they laid more than 8,000 traffic-related charges over the August long weekend.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
