Pleasure barge

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A pleasure barge is a flat bottomed, slow moving boat used for leisure. It is contrasted with a standard barge, which is used to transport freight. Many places where canals or rivers play a prominent role have developed pleasure barges for conducting religious ceremonies or waterborne festivities, or for viewing scenery.

Ceremonial barges are sometimes used in historical reenactments and wedding ceremonies in Polynesia.

Religious ceremonies are still conducted aboard barges in Thailand, where up to fifty barges at a time travel in battle formation on Bangkok's rivers. The royal barge is rowed by fifty oarsmen, steered by two steersmen, and commanded by two officers. The crew is rounded out by a flagman, a chantman, and a signalman. Bangkok has a museum devoted entirely to royal barges.

Barges built to provide people with scenic trips down rivers developed along with the growing middle class in Europe and the United States. Modern pleasure barges, such as those that travel the wine regions of France, can include such amenities as DVD players, exercise equipment, onboard kitchens and water closets, skylit passenger cabins, and stereo systems.