Locals in Cambridgeshire are expected to defy Covid-restrictions to attend the Boat Race on Sunday.
Crews from Oxford and Cambridge university have taken part in the annual race between Putney and Mortlake, in south-west London, since 1845.
But the race, which usually draws around 20,000 spectators, has been relocated to the Great Ouse due to concerns about the pandemic and the safety of Hammersmith Bridge.
In an effort to stop crowds, roads will close and those who refuse to stay away risk a £200 fine.
However, locals have vowed to watch the race in spite of receiving letters instructing them to watch it on television.
Mr and Mrs Edwards, whose garden backs on to the river near the finish line, said they received letters ordering them not to go out.
“I wouldn’t have thought they could stop us sitting in the garden,” she told the Times. “We’ve got two friends coming and can space out. I feel a bit privileged to have a front-row seat.”
Her neighbours, John and Barbara Knott, said they will also watch it live.
“They’ve written to tell us to watch it on the telly,” Mr Knott told the newspaper. “They said that if people come and view it there will be consequences. But it’s our garden. It is once in a lifetime.”
The race will begin at the Queen Adelaide Bridge and finish the Sandhill Bridge in Littleport, covering just over three miles (4.89km) instead of the usual 4.2 miles (6.8km).
The first Boat Race took place in 1829 and was organised by Cambridge fellow Charles Merivale and his friend Charles Wordsworth.
The Boat Race 2021 will be live on BBC One, from 3pm till 5.30pm this Easter Sunday, April 4.
