Christmas Day
Felixstowe in Suffolk
The event is a community affair with hundreds of people dressed in their finest festive attire racing into the North Sea. Many of the residents gather along the promenade for the spectacle. Every year, the event raises money for St Elizabeth Hospice and brings with it new stories of heroism and romance (there have been a few proposals mid-plunge). The atmosphere of the plunge is just as warm and inviting as the water itself. Then, take a walk around the town with its four mile promenade.
10am, £16, stelizabethhospice.org.uk
Penarth and Porthcawl
The Dawnstalkers meet daily to greet the sunrise with a swim beside Penarth pier, three miles south of Cardiff city centre – and Christmas morning is no exception. This inclusive collective of sea swimmers is open to everyone. A wood-fired barrel sauna will be parked on the prom from 21–29 December, offering a toasty post-dip reward. Christmas swims at Porthcawl, 25 miles along the coast, began in 1965 when local swimming legend Arlon Owsins, dressed up as a clown was pushed from the pier by a dipper dressed as Father Christmas. More than a thousand swimmers – many still in fancy dress – take the plunge, raising thousands for local charities.
Penarth: 8am, free, dawnstalkers.com. Porthcawl: Enter water by 11.15am, suggested donation £10, christmasswim.org
The Serpentine in Hyde Park, London, and the Peter Pan Cup
Since 1864, the Serpentine Swimming Club Christmas Day swim has been held every Christmas morning in Hyde Park. JM. Barrie, the 1904 donor of the first trophy, was named after this event. This short but speedy 100-yard race is open only to members, but spectators are encouraged to gather along the lakeside to cheer on the swimmers.
9am, serpentineswimmingclub.com
Weymouth in Dorset
Weymouth is one of Britain’s largest and most loved festive plunges. It all began in 1948 with a drunken bet between taxi driver Reggie Bugler, and pub owner Dill Laker. The event, which raises money for a local charity, sees hundreds of swimmers splashing 70 meters across the harbour. Thousands of spectators cheer them on. It’s worth taking time to walk along the beach, which is backed by colourful beach houses.
From 9.30am, £15, love-weymouth.co.uk
Hunstanton in Norfolk
The swim is one of Norfolk’s biggest festive events and has been going on for over 60 years. Taking place just off the town’s central promenade, it’s organised by the Hunstanton and District Round Table and supports local charities. Lots of prizes and free hot soup to warm up after.
1Register by 10am for 1am, free, hunstantonroundtable.com
Bude Cornwall
The Bude Surf Life Saving Club has organised this legendary swim at Crooklets Beach for more than half a century. Thousands gather to watch as swimmers – many in Santa suits – dash into the Atlantic for a short but spirited dip. The event is a fundraiser for the local beach life-saving group that ensures the safety of the beaches year-round.
10.45am, Free (donations welcomed) visitbude.info
Boxing Day
Folkestone (Kent)
The Sunny Sands event is a huge success, bringing hundreds of swimmers and a loud crowd to the beach. Organised by the Folkestone, Hythe & District Lions Club, it raises funds for the Lions and other local charities. The prizes are for fancy-dress and the youngest as well as oldest dippers.
11.30am (register from 9.30am), £10, free with sponsorship, folkestonelions.org.uk
Seaton Carew County Durham
The North Sea isn’t exactly a welcoming proposition for a swimmer at this time of year, but that doesn’t deter hundreds from joining Hartlepool Round Table’s Boxing Day Dip. A parade sets off from the Marine Hotel on the seafront at Seaton Crew, just outside Hartlepool, before the plunge. After the plunge, bacon butties and beer can be purchased at the base.
11.30am, £5, hartlepoolroundtable.co.uk
Paignton, Devon
A Boxing Day classic, with hundreds of swimmers, many in fancy dress, gathering on Paignton Sands for the local Lions Club’s Walk into the Sea. The mass swim begins at noon, after a fancy dress competition. This is a great way to get rid of the Christmas Day excess in this vibrant English Riviera town.
12pm, £10, englishriviera.co.uk
St Ives in Cornwall
Relax and enjoy a dip on the golden Porthminster beaches. Even dogs are welcome to join the fun. Wetsuits and fancy dress are encouraged. Porthminster Café Keep the post-swim spirit high with bacon butties and hot chocolate. St Ives is particularly pretty in winter and the narrow cobbled streets make for pleasant festive wandering.
Free 12pm, £1 donation suggested, no website
Ventnor Isle of Wight
Ventnor Bay, once a haven for smugglers, now hosts hundreds of swimmers in tutus, pyjamas and rubber rings to swim along the Esplanade. The event raises money for local cancer charities as well as for Ventnor carnival. The event will include mulled wines and sandwiches for brave bathers. Spyglass Inn.
12pm, free, donation suggestedOn Facebook
Fraserburgh Harbour, Aberdeenshire
The RNLI is a cause that sea swimmers are passionate about. The 17th annual 52 metre harbour swim is raising funds for Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station. Participants will dive into the water from the side and swim across ice cold water while being cheered on the whole town.
1pm, free, donation suggested, rnli.org
New Year’s Day
Salford Quays is located in Manchester
No beach? No seaside? Dock 9 at MediaCity in Manchester, the venue of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, is available for swimmers to take a dip on New Year’s Day. The water temperature will be 7C. This “big, bold and mighty cold” event, run by Uswim, raises lots of cash for local charities. With the Lowry theatre as a backdrop, three waves of swimmers enter the water at 15-minute intervals. A best-dressed hat competition adds to the fun.
11am, £25, uswimopenwater.com
Keswick Lake District
Cumbria’s hardiest wild swimmers take to Derwentwater in fancy dress to raise funds for the Calvert Trust, which helps people with disabilities experience the outdoors. Afterwards there will be lakeside hot chocolate and cake.
11am, free, £5 donation suggested, calvertlakes.org.uk
Bangor County Down
Swimmers plunge into Bangor’s Ballyholme Bay in fancy dress to raise funds for Cancer Focus Northern Ireland. There are prizes to be won, hot drinks and proper facilities – but no guarantee of feeling your toes afterwards. Ballyholme Yacht Club organises an annual. Boxing Day swim in aid of the RNLI (£5 entry) if you fancy a double whammy.
12pm, £15, cancerfocusni.org
Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire
This is one of the UK’s larger New Year’s Day swims – there were 2,535 registrations on 1 January 2025. It turns 40 in 2026, with a ruby theme promising a sea of vermilion-clad dippers and plenty of sparkle in the sea.
12.30pm, £5 (£3 under-16s), saundersfootnyds.co.uk
Lyme Regis is located in Dorset.
The Rotary Club’s Lyme Lunge brings wigs and wings to the sandy Cobb Beach. Inflatable flamingos are also a big hit. Fancy dress encouraged, fundraising optional. The desire to run into the sea like a loon is mandatory (although a quick paddle would suffice). Thousands of spectators flock to the beach and gardens above it to watch the mayhem.
Donations welcome.
Loony Dook, nr Edinburgh
What began as a “hangover cure” for a few friends in 1986 is now a beloved slice of post-Hogmanay madness. The Loony Dookdook is Scots for dip) sees hundreds of dressed-up swimmers parade through South Queensferry before plunging into the Firth of Forth.
Free at 1.30pm
