By Eric Allen

The Head of the Charles Regatta could be considered an annual melting pot for Bostonians.

Among the L.L. Bean-clad families of Harvard undergrads and Wayfarer-wearing hipsters this weekend were out-of-towners – by the masses.

The Regatta, a two-day crew event held in the Charles River in Cambridge, beckoned crowds from locations usually unfamiliar with the autumnal East Coast. The event saw competitors and patrons from all throughout the United States and abroad.

“My mom flew in from Hawaii to be here,” said Raquel Guss, a sophomore journalism major and Northeastern club crew team member.

Guss, who competed Saturday, said she enjoyed the diverse group attracted to the event.

“There are so many people and a lot of energy,” she said. “It really gets us going.”

There was plenty to keep the energy high: free samples from vendors like Kashi and the Immaculate Baking Co., along with $3-a-slice pizza from The Upper Crust; the Reunion Village filled with loyal alumni; the crowds of people lining the river banks and bridges, cheering on their favorite teams.

Morgan Lehmann, a freshman history major at Harvard, said she helped her teammates sell baked goods and Radcliffe gear under the Radcliffe crew tent. The women’s crew team at Harvard is the only team that still uses the Radcliffe name, she said.

It was Lehmann’s first year at the Regatta, but she said she was aware of the event’s reputation for attracting a diverse audience.

“Apparently, it’s the best race in the world to go to,” she said. “I like all the people. Olympians and national teams are here.”

Northeastern alumnus Bill Benjamin said he competed in a double event this year for Potomac Boat Club from Washington, DC. He said he has been rowing competitively for four years and loves the Regatta because it gives Boston and the world a chance to get to know the sport.

“It’s [also] a great opportunity to come back and be here as an athlete,” he said.

The Regatta has recently drawn international fans and corporate sponsors, a spectacle different from the first Head of the Charles Regatta, according to the official website.

According to the site, the first Regatta was Oct. 16, 1965, the brainchild of three members of the Cambridge Boat Club and Harvard sculling instructor Ernest Arlett, who was the Northeastern men’s crew coach in 1965. The idea was to have boat races on the river like Arlett had when he lived in England, where the winner would earn the title “Head of the River.” Since these races would take place on the Charles River, winners would earn the title “Head of the Charles,” according to the site.

Decades have passed since the first Regatta, and the event has grown.

Martha Stearns, a Cambridge resident, said she has enjoyed the races for 15 years.

“It’s like a party in my city,” Stearns said.

She said the party may be focused on the rowers, but the event itself is more cultural.

“It’s nice to see people outdoors being healthy,” Stearns said. “It’s fun to share in the community of athletes.”

Visitors did not have to participate in the rowing to feel athletic. Some optioned to join a free yoga class in the Kashi tent, while others walked laps around the stretch of vendors.

There was enough going on to keep people busy for hours, Stearns said, but a lot of spectators picked a spot on the riverbank and watched the races.

The number of fans clustered on blankets was a testament to just how renowned the event has become.

“People from all over the world came,” Guss said. “[The Regatta] gets people together for one central event.”