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MUMBLES: Gold Lamborghini, live music and a fleet of wacky rafts — the RNLI Raft Race turns 40 in two weeks

One of Swansea Bay’s best-loved traditions turns 40 this month — and its organisers are promising the biggest edition yet.

The Mumbles RNLI Raft Race takes place from 12pm on Sunday 19 July at Knab Rock, with a fleet of homemade rafts racing in aid of the RNLI as crowds line the promenade and shoreline.

The race returned for its 40th-anniversary year this spring, with teams from across south Wales invited to build and paddle their own craft.

Four decades on from the first race, the event has become a fixture of the local summer — attracting generations of competitors and raising funds for the charity’s lifesaving work.

Rafts make their way across the bay off Mumbles (Image: RNLI/Adam Gilbert)

New for the anniversary year is an entertainment hub at Southend Gardens, run with EPM Marketing & Events, with live music, food vendors and entertainment through the day.

Swansea drinks brand AU Vodka is bringing its gold Lamborghini to the seafront, along with ice cream and samples of its alcohol-free range, while Tesco is setting up a free family fun village.

Cllr Will Thomas, chair of Mumbles Community Council — one of the event’s supporters alongside Swansea Council and a run of local businesses — said the anniversary promised “a fantastic day of entertainment for the whole community”.

“The Raft Race strengthens our community, brings visitors into Mumbles and supports our local businesses,” he said, “while raising vital funds for the RNLI, whose volunteers do such an incredible job keeping people safe around our coastline.”

Dai Thomas, chair of the Mumbles Lifeboat Crew Association and deputy coxswain of the Mumbles lifeboat, said this year’s race would have “more entertainment, more activities than ever before”.

“It’s fantastic to see so many local businesses, organisations and volunteers coming together to make the Raft Race possible,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming everyone to Mumbles for a great day, all while raising vital funds for the RNLI.”

The race is organised by the crew association, with the Mumbles lifeboat among the busiest in Wales — its volunteers launching hundreds of times in recent years, including a 1,000th career launch for one deputy coxswain last autumn.

Spectators lined the seafront in their thousands for previous races, with the promenade and the recently completed sea defence works giving a grandstand view over the course.

Spectators line the Mumbles seafront for the raft race (Image: RNLI/Adam Gilbert)

Race updates and team announcements are being posted on the Mumbles Lifeboat social media channels in the run-up to the day.

The event is free to watch, with the entertainment hub and Tesco village also free of charge.

The Mumbles RNLI Raft Race takes place from 12pm on Sunday 19 July at Knab Rock.

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MUMBLES: Raft race returns for 40th anniversary as event prepares to showcase revamped seafront

The race takes place on Sunday 19 July, starting and finishing at Knab Rock at noon. Teams compete on homemade rafts — often elaborately costumed — paddling a course off the Mumbles seafront while spectators line the promenade.

The event was first held in the 1980s and has run most years since, becoming one of the most recognisable fixtures on the Mumbles summer calendar. Last year’s race was cancelled due to bad weather, making the 40th anniversary edition all the more anticipated among organisers and regulars alike.

At the most recent event to go ahead, teams collectively raised more than £10,000 for the RNLI. Organisers are aiming to surpass that figure this year, with the milestone anniversary expected to draw larger crowds and more entries from across South Wales.

Teams and their homemade rafts line up at the start of a previous Mumbles Raft Race, with spectators packed along the seafront.
(Image: RNLI / Adam Gilbert)

Tony Bowen, a Mumbles RNLI crew member and one of the race organisers, said the event had become a cornerstone of the local community.

“The raft race is a big part of Mumbles,” he said. “It’s a great day where people get together, laugh and support the RNLI. Reaching 40 years is a real milestone, and every pound raised helps us carry on saving lives at sea.”

This year’s event will take place against the backdrop of Mumbles’ transformed seafront. Swansea Council’s coastal flood defence scheme, which has reshaped the promenade over several years of construction, gives spectators clear sightlines along the bay — making it one of the most watchable settings the race has had in its four-decade history.

Alongside the racing, the day will include a lifeboat demonstration giving the public the chance to see the station’s vessels in action close up, water safety advice, choral entertainment, and further shoreside activities suitable for families.

Mumbles RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Roy Barker IV (RNLI 16-27) alongside the station’s inshore lifeboat at Mumbles Pier — both vessels will feature in a demonstration at this year’s raft race. (Image: RNLI / Adam Gilbert)

The RNLI’s Mumbles station has one of the longest histories of any lifeboat station in Wales. A lifeboat was first placed at Mumbles in 1835, provided by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, with management later taken over by the RNLI in 1863. The station now operates from Mumbles Pier and covers the waters of Swansea Bay and the Gower Peninsula year-round.

The charity relies entirely on donations. Every pound raised through events like the raft race goes directly towards funding crew training, equipment, and callout costs at stations across the UK and Ireland.

The race is organised by the Mumbles Lifeboat Crew Association (MLCA), a volunteer-led fundraising body that supports the station, with backing from Mumbles Community Council and local volunteers.

Teams and individuals wanting to enter can email [email protected] or call 01792 361268. No specialist experience is required — previous entries have ranged from corporate teams to community groups, all building their own rafts before race day.

The event is free to watch and open to all. Organisers say the revamped promenade makes this year’s race particularly accessible for families, those with pushchairs, and spectators with mobility needs.

Entries are open now. More information is available at [email protected] or by calling 01792 361268.

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