Swimsuit season at Coney Island has a second half, and it has started. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, founded in 1903, takes a plunge into the Atlantic every Sunday from November through April, and registration is now open for the public event that ends its calendar year: the 123rd New Year's Day Plunge, on Friday, January 1, 2027.

The club describes itself as the oldest winter bathing club in the United States. Its members swim off Coney Island Beach through the coldest months of the year, weekly, on Sundays.

The New Year's Day Plunge

The plunge is the one swim open to everyone. It runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Coney Island Beach, and registration is handled through the club's RunSignup page. The event raises money for local organizations, and this year's overall fundraising goal is $150,000.

Participants can raise money from friends and family through the registration page. Donations received by check-in on plunge day count toward the event's fundraising incentives, and the page keeps accepting donations through January 15.

Joining the club itself

The weekly Sunday swims are a members' tradition, and the club says it is not accepting new members this season. The New Year's Day Plunge is the way in for anyone who wants to try a winter swim at Coney Island with the club's crew on the beach. The club posts updates on its Facebook and Instagram pages and takes questions through the contact form on its website.

A season on the boardwalk

The Sunday swims run through the months when the rides are shut and the boardwalk belongs to walkers, runners and fishermen. Spectators are a regular part of the scene on plunge day, lining the boardwalk near the Stillwell Avenue end of the beach to watch the swimmers go in.

How to go

Coney Island Beach is at the end of four subway lines: the D, F, N and Q all terminate at Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, a short walk from the boardwalk. Register for the January 1 plunge, and find the event-day details, on the club's New Year's Day Plunge page.

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