52 colleges, universities and vocational training institutions from Germany and other European countries are sending their teams to race on the Beetzsee in Brandenburg an der Havel. 64 women's teams, 73 men's teams and 43 mixed teams compete on the regatta course. The event combines sporting competition with concrete technology and has been held every two years since 1986. The students of architecture, civil engineering and related disciplines develop their boats independently - from the initial idea to the material formulation to the production of the concrete shells. For a concrete canoe to float, the design, material and production must be precisely harmonised. The task is to construct a stable and lightweight boat that is watertight without additional coating or sealing and has good sailing characteristics.
Focus on material efficiency
"The concrete canoe regatta is much more than just a sporting competition," says chief organiser Torsten Bernhofen from the Concrete Information Centre. "For students of architecture, civil engineering and related disciplines, it is a real-life testing ground for innovative concrete technologies." Topics such as material efficiency, recycling and sustainable concrete formulas play a central role in the development of the boats. The teams develop their concepts completely independently and must prove that they have mastered the building material concrete in all its diversity. On Friday, 19 June 2026, visitors will be able to view the concrete boats at the boat storage area. On this day, the juries will evaluate the boats in the areas of construction, design and sustainability. The canoes will also be measured and weighed. The students will provide information about their designs and the production of the boats.
You can find more special boat designs here:
Sporting competitions on Saturday
On Saturday, 20 June 2026, the sporting competitions will start at eight o'clock in the morning with preliminary and intermediate heats. The construction of the canoes as well as the tactics, sailing technique and fighting spirit of the teams will decide which concrete canoe is ultimately one boat ahead of its competitors on the regatta course. The semi-finals and finals will follow from 2.10 pm. The award ceremony will take place at 5 pm. The Beetzsee regatta course was built back in 1969 and has been extensively renovated and extended in recent years. It has already proved its worth as a venue for major national and international championships. Visitors can watch the races up close from the large grandstand. There is ample parking available at the regatta course. Admission to the event is free of charge.
Creativity in the Open Class
In addition to the sporting races, the creativity of the teams also counts. In the open class, they present spectacular constructions that surprise with unusual shapes, concepts or themed worlds. There are no limits to the imagination - the motto for the boat parade is "Is made of concrete and floats". 20 unusual boats will take part in the parade, which starts at 1 pm. Visitors can look forward to original designs and unusual constructions. The teams will show that concrete can do far more than you might think at first glance. Racing canoes, formwork technology, information boards and boat building materials can be admired up close. On the Instagram channel @izb_betonkanu The construction progress of the respective teams can already be observed on the website.
Organiser and organisation
The German Concrete Canoe Regatta is organised by the Concrete Information Centre on behalf of the German cement and concrete industry. Since the first event in 1986, the competition has become a fixed date for the next generation of engineers and architects. Further information on the event and the programme can be found at www.betonkanu-regatta.de.
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
