Henley-on-Todd Regatta

Every year on the third Saturday of August,[2] the town holds a mock regatta which large numbers of locals and tourists attend.

Food and drink are sold at stalls, "no fishing" signs are put up, and the celebration takes all day.

Races are also held in washtubs, human-sized hamster wheels and at the final event, modified trucks decked out as boats are driven by teams armed with flour bombs and water cannon.

The idea was taken up by the Rotary club of Alice Springs, and despite the fact that the town was 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) from the nearest large body of water this was never seen as a problem.

Watching seemingly sane people race in bottomless "eights", "Oxford tubs", "bath tubs" and yachts through the deep coarse sand of the Todd River is a unique spectacle amongst world sporting events and attracts many local and international participants.