A total of 71 boats will compete in various categories at the 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race to be held on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on Saturday (August 22, 2026).

A total of 22 boats will compete in the Chundan (snake boat) category. The number of boats competing in the other categories include Churulan– 2, Iruttukuthi A– 3, Iruttukuthi B– 16, Iruttukuthi C– 14, Veppu A– 5, Veppu B– 4, Thekkenodi Thara– 1, and Thekkenodi Kettu– 4, according to a release.

The competitions will begin at 11 a.m. The heats for the smaller boats will be held first. Chief Minister V.D Satheesan will inaugurate the event at 2 p.m.

The heats for the Chundan boats and the finals of the smaller boats will be held after the inaugural function at 2 p.m. There will be six heats in the Chundan boat competition. Four boats each will compete in the first four heats while three boats each will compete in the fifth and sixth heats. The four boats recording the best times and finishing first will advance to the final round.

The winners in the categories of the smaller boats will be decided based on the finishing time. The timings will be displayed on a screen so that they can be viewed by the public, it said.

Holiday announced

Alappuzha District Collector Shaji V. Nair has declared a holiday for all government offices and educational institutions in the district on Saturday in view of the boat race. Public examinations will be held as decided earlier.

Published - August 21, 2026 08:47 pm IST