Racing. Revelry. Regattas. Each year, the Head of the Charles ushers in the excitement of major intercollegiate crew races, of fried dough and hot dogs, of autumn foliage lining the celebrated Charles.

But along with the mystique of the regatta arrive thousands of college students, parents, crew enthusiasts and curious observers, all descending on the Harvard campus and in Cambridge.

Harvard Police expects "upwards of 200,000" to attend depending on the weather, said Lieutenant of Special Operations Lawrence J. Murphy.

"They kind of swarm all over Harvard Square...like insects or something," junior Liz Arkush says. "I remember going to Store 24 at one point during the weekend, and there were all these Andover kids going, 'Wow, this is so wild, this is just like the Store 24 at home.'"

"I usually go down to peek at the boats, but it's a pain...we're bombarded with 200,000 of our closest friends," says junior Melissa Bender, '94.

Harvard Police, state Metropolitan police and the Dean of Students office are all acting together this weekend to coordinate security measures.

Yard gates and the main House gates will remain locked throughout a 24-hour period, beginning at 4:00 p.m. today. Access will be restricted to students with Harvard identification cards, each of whom can accompany one guest into the Yard or houses.

In addition, police presence will be increased throughout the campus today and tomorrow, primarily to limit drinking on the Harvard campus and along the Charles River. No kegs will be permitted in the dormitories or houses, Murphy says.

"We've had the same plan in effect for three years, and it seems to work pretty well," Murphy says.

According to College rules, each student may house no more than one guest during the weekend and must first obtain permisson by today, from the appropriate House Office or Freshman Proctor.

Social events must be registered with the Freshman Dean's Office or a House Office in advance, while functions of student organizations or House committees must be registered through the Dean of Students Office.

So far, there are no parties registered by house or student organizations, Assistant Dean of Students Ellen Hapfield Towne says.

"Our assumption is that none will come in [today]," she says. "Because of the heightened security needs, it would be very difficult to get an officer if we did not know well in advance."

"Small private gatherings will be permitted in the usual course of social activity, but anything that escalates into a question of crowd control or an alcohol situation will be carefully monitored," she says. "We strongly want to discourage visitors from finding a party at Harvard and entering the houses."

Many students expressed dissatisfaction with the College's stringent regulations.

"Head of the Charles has actually become a drag, because the University cracks down on organized, fun activities" such as house parties, says senior Joshua Salomon.

Senior Beth Johnston considers the restrictions an unnecessary hassle. "It's dumb, all the bureaucracy they have. It's going to be crazy anyway, and it just doesn't make sense," Johnston says.

A number of students, however, say the restrictions help keep the campus under control.

"It's better than having security problems, with all of those criminals from that Yale place coming," sophomore Christina Ho says.

Sophomore Jeannette Vargas says that therestrictions are not quite enough. "I was walkingfrom the Yard to Eliot [last year], and I had topractically wade through beer cans," she says. "Ifthey're going to come, that's fine, but if they'regoing to destroy our campus, I'd rather they juststayed home."

Regardless of the restrictions, studentscontinue to flock to the Head of the Charles,making the weekend one of the busiest of the yearon the Harvard campus.

"It's kind of fun that everyone invades,"sophomore Noah Selsby says. "It gives friends ofmine from other colleges excuses to visit me."

Freshman Stephen Phillips is looking forward tohis first Head of the Charles with an open mind."The more people, the merrier," he says.

Others don't quite see it that way. For them,the October tradition is more a hassle than acause for celebration.

"I think it's a terrible idea," senior SylviaPaisons says. "Living by the river when I'm tryingto write my thesis is an awful thing."

Senior Ciaran Powers, who will row on Harvard'sheavyweight crew, enjoys participating in theraces themselves, although he misses a large partof the weekend's festivities.

"I really don't get to relax," he says. "Thepartying is actually kind of annoying, because I'mtrying to sleep before my race."

No matter how hard they try, most studentscan't avoid the weekend's events.

"Even if I stay in my house, I'll be there,"says senior Paul Secunda, a resident of EliotHouse. "It's a mob scene. It's almost too much. Ican't really avoid it.