Arendal Water Festival

Date: 30 July 2026 – 1 August 2026

Location: Arendal, Norway

The Arendal Water Festival turns the harbour of this southern Norwegian town into a race venue, and entry is free. The 2026 edition opens on 30 July in Arendal city centre and runs alongside the UIM Offshore World Championship, which comes to Arendal from 29 July to 1 August with world titles decided in the 3B, 3D and 3J powerboat classes. That is the core of the event: world championship boat racing viewed from the quaysides and skerries of a town built around its waterfront. Arendal's harbour and the Pollen basin sit right against the town centre, so spectators are close to the action rather than watching from a distant beach. Around the racing there is a festival program on shore. If you are in Sørlandet in late July and want noise, speed and salt spray without buying a ticket, this is the one.

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