Jane's Midlife Journey

The RNLI Mudeford Lifeboat Funday is, as the name suggests, a day of fun activities to raise money for the Mudeford Lifeboat. The highlights of the event is the Duck Race. In addition, there are lifeboat displays, SUP races, Dragon boats, food & drink, items for sale, a funfair, live music plus other entertainment.

How to get to RNLI Mudeford Lifeboat Funday

The event takes place on and around Mudeford Quay. By car, Mudeford is 8 miles east of Bournemouth, just past Christchurch. If you fancy walking/cycling, it is 6 miles along the coast to Hengistbury Head. You can watch the action from Mudeford Sandspit, or take a ferry across to the quay.

By bus

The open top 70 Breezer Bus stops at Chichester Way, a 5 minute walk from the quayside. You can also take the No 1C, which may be quicker but is much less fun.

Parking

There is Pay & Display parking on Mudeford Quay, but this is a popular event, so spaces may be hard to come by. If you are lucky enough to find a space, parking costs £2.70 for an hour. Further details can be found here.

Alternatively, you can park at Two Riversmeet car park and pick up the free shuttle bus to Mudeford Quay, which runs every 30 minutes throughout the event. Here, the parking costs £1.50 for 2 hours. Further details can be found here.

Times

The event takes place annually each summer on a Sunday and runs from 11 am until 5 pm.

• In 2026, the date was 9th August.
• In 2027, date TBA.

Price

Entry is free. However, as the event is to raise funds for the Lifeboat, you are encouraged to spend money, whether it be on sponsoring a duck in the duck race, buying RNLI merchandise or on the many other attractions. Note: Although many stalls have card readers, reception isn’t great and the readers are prone to crashing. I recommend taking some cash!

Duck Race

A highlight of the afternoon is Duck Race, which sees hundreds of rubber ducks racing along the river. Visitors are offered the opportunity to adopt a duck for £2. The first duck across the line wins its owner a prize. Last year, I had a duck entered in the race, which was rather an anti-climax as the high wind blew most of the ducks (presumably, including mine) straight across the quay and onto the sandbank opposite. We were then treated to the rather bizarre spectacle of the lifeboat crew attempting to prevent 1000 rubber ducks from being swept out to sea.

This year, a perfect summer’s day attracted crowds in their thousands. This meant that it was difficult to actually see the action, but there was a running commentary, as we tried to snatch glimpses of the race through the rows and rows of people lined up on the harbourside. Unfortunately, there was hardly any wind and the ducks just bobbed around in a big blob by the harbour wall.

SUP Race

A highlight of the day used to be the raft race, where local groups raced home made rafts along the quayside, some with considerably more success than others. Since 2025, paddleboards have replaced rafts for this event. Sadly, as the SUPs are all similar (and safe), I think this removes the jeopardy element of the old raft race.

A new addition for 2026 was a Dragon Boat demo by local crews.

Lifeboat Display

You can watch the lifeboat in action in the harbour, demonstrating rescue techniques.

RNLI Village 

In the RNLI Village on the quayside, you will find stalls selling souvenirs, books, toys etc. While you’re there you can get your Raffle Tickets, enter the Duck Race tickets or bid in the Silent Auction.

Stalls

There are other stalls spread across the quay and the green selling cakes, bric-a-brac and all other manner of things. I loved the cute RNLI wellie biscuits.

Fun Fair

There are several fairground rides, plus sideshows to keep kids (and adults) entertained.

Entertainment

Other entertainment includes live music and water sports. New for 2026, was a Vintage Car Display courtesy of the Austin Seven Club.

Food & Drink

There are a selection of food and drink stalls around the quayside, including a crew BBQ, pizza, candy floss and ice cream. We opted for some lovely freshly made donuts.

The Haven House, situated on the quayside, is another option for food and drink, with drinks being served both from inside the pub and from a dispenser in the outdoor seating area.

RNLI Mudeford Lifeboat Fun Day for Children

The Fun Day offers plenty for children to do. Apart from fairground rides and sideshows, there is face painting, glitter tattoos and a bouncy castle.

There’s also a children’s playground on the quayside and a shop selling crabbing equipment for those who want to join the hoards of crabbers linking the harbour wall.

• Update: August 2026

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.