Vancouver's Spectacular Polar Bear Swim
Despite the cold temperatures, a brisk open water swim, known as a Polar Bear Swim, is a New Year's Day tradition in communities across Canada. Vancouver's Polar Bear Swim is one of the largest and oldest celebrations in the country.
Vancouver Polar Bear Swim History
On January 1, 2025, the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim will mark its 105th anniversary. The tradition started in 1920 when Peter Pantages founded the Polar Bear Swim Club and led a handful of participants on a Christmas Day swim at English Bay Beach.
They repeated their frigid dip year after year, eventually switching to New Year's Day instead of Christmas Day. At some point, silly costumes were added to the swim.
While statistics show that the event started small, it grew over the centuries. In the 1970s there 600-900 swimmers hitting the water at English Bay each January 1st. In the last decade, there were between 1500 and 2500 participants yearly.
However, the event has exploded in popularity recently: There were 6,164 swimmers in 2023 and 8,683 in 2024. The 2025 swim is shaping up to be the biggest in history!
2025 Vancouver Polar Bear Swim
The 2025 Vancouver Polar Bear Swim takes place on January 1, 2025, at English Bay Beach. Register online to receive an official participation certificate (and to ensure your swim counts towards the potentially record-breaking total!) Registration is free.
The swim is open to everyone, but if you're competitive, you can enter the 100 m race out to a marker buoy. Be sure to wear your best costume to enter the costume contest.
There will be lockers on-site to store your clothing and warming tents to help you raise your temperature after you get out of the water.
Stick around the beach to enjoy the festive atmosphere including live music from Side One, the Sleeman Polar Lounge, food trucks, and a booth selling official Vancouver Polar Bear Swim merch.
There will also be a designated food bank drop-off zone so bring some non-perishable food to donate.
Polar Bear Swim Tips
- Bring warm clothes and keep them on until it’s time to swim.
- Wear a costume. It’s more fun and you can enter the costume contest.
- Don’t forget your camera! Use a waterproof case to protect it.
- Consider wearing water shoes or sandals. English Bay is sandy but there are a few rocks.
- Spend just a few minutes in the water. Your body cools down 25 times faster in water than in air.
- Pack a towel, warm clothes, and a toque to put on afterward.
- Warm up afterward at one of the warming tents.
- Bring a hot drink in a thermos or buy one from one of the food trucks or nearby cafes. The heat of a hot drink can quickly make you feel warm from the inside.
- Eat a snack after from one of the food trucks or restaurants along Denman and Davie Streets. Foods that are high in healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates take longer to digest, which raises your body temperature and makes you feel warmer.
- If you have a heart condition or are pregnant, a polar bear swim might not be the right activity for you. Talk to your doctor first.
