"46th Head of the Charles" is this weekend (23rd-24th) in Cambridge. There's plenty of places in Harvard Square to enjoy a Gansett after watching the races. Gansett bars in the Harvard Square area include:
Shay’s Pub
Russell House
Charlie’s Kitchen
Grendel’s Den
Tory Row
Tommy Doyles
Legal Seafood
Here's what the Head Of Charles website had to say about the race itself.
Head Of The Charles Regatta ®, the world's largest two-day rowing event, was first held on October 16, 1965. The race was established by the Cambridge Boat Club members D'Arcy MacMahon, Howard McIntyre, and Jack Vincent, with the advice of Harvard University sculling instructor Ernest Arlett. Arlett proposed that a "head of the river" race similar in tradition to races held in his native England, be held on the Charles River. "Head" races, a class of regattas, are generally three miles long-boats race against each other and the clock, starting sequentially approximately fifteen seconds apart. Winners of each race receive the honorary title of "Head of the River" or, in this case, "Head Of The Charles." Over the past 46 years, the Head Of The Charles regatta has grown tremendously. Today, more than 8,000 athletes from around the world compete in 55 different race events. The Regatta grew to a two-day event in 1997 and now attracts up to 300,000 spectators during the October weekend.