Peter Pan Cup Christmas Day Swim
Hyde Park, London
Serpentine Swimming Club members race 100 yards in the cold lake on Christmas morning.
25 December 2026Traditional date
Festive sea swims
Thousands of people start the festive season with a freezing swim, usually in fancy dress and usually for charity. Watching is free and the atmosphere is cheerful; taking part normally means registering in advance.
If you plan to swim, take the organiser’s safety advice seriously: cold water shock is real, and short dips are the norm.
4 events in this guide
In date order
- 25DecPeter Pan Cup Christmas Day SwimHyde Park, London25 December 2026 — traditional dateStay nearby
- 26DecTenby Boxing Day SwimTenby, Pembrokeshire26 December 2026 — traditional dateStay nearby
- 1JanLoony DookSouth Queensferry, Edinburgh1 January 2027 — traditional dateStay nearby
- 1JanSaundersfoot New Year’s Day SwimSaundersfoot, Pembrokeshire1 January 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
The events
Tenby Boxing Day Swim
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
A festive sea-swimming event.
26 December 2026Traditional dateHave a go
Loony Dook
South Queensferry, Edinburgh
Costumed dookers parade through South Queensferry, then plunge into the Firth of Forth.
1 January 2027Traditional dateHave a go
Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim
Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire
A New Year sea swim raising funds for good causes.
1 January 2027Date announcedHave a go
“Stay nearby” links go to Booking.com, and each event guide also has train links. These are affiliate links. What that means.