Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim

Date and programme

The organiser identifies the next swim as 1 January 2027. The start time and complete programme have not been verified here. Check the current event announcement rather than borrowing a time from an older swim or a general holiday listing.

The story behind it

Saundersfoot's swim started small. In 1984 just ten swimmers took a Boxing Day plunge, and the following year the event moved to New Year's Day, where it has stayed. Early fundraising paid for equipment for the local medical centre and changing rooms for the village sports club. From those modest beginnings it has become one of the biggest festive swims in Britain, typically drawing around a thousand people into the sea and setting a record of more than 2,500 swimmers in 2024. Fancy dress is encouraged, with prizes for the best costumes, and swimmers can raise money for a charity of their choice alongside the event's own good causes. In total the swim has raised more than £775,000, which is a lot of goose pimples for a good cause.

If you want to swim

The FAQ says entries must be completed online and explains how the booking confirmation is exchanged for a wristband. It recommends collecting that wristband ahead of New Year’s Day where possible. Check collection opening times and current terms before booking. Do not assume that arriving on the beach completes participant registration.

Travel and parking

The organiser warns of limited village parking and points visitors to Traveline Cymru for public transport. Its park-and-ride answer still says further information is coming. Check the holiday timetable and the last part of the journey before relying on a train or bus, and do not treat a previous park-and-ride service as confirmed.

Watching from the beach

If you are supporting a swimmer, agree where to meet afterwards and keep access routes clear. The viewing layout, accessible approach and toilets have not been verified for this edition. Ask the organiser about specific needs before choosing a viewing position. The swim’s terms and latest event notices should guide participation and any changes to arrangements.

Taking part

The organiser is advertising a 2 pm start on Friday 1 January 2027, with a Music Legends fancy-dress theme and prizes for both individuals and groups. You may spot an earlier lunchtime start quoted elsewhere, so go by the current announcement. If you’re making a costume, design it around the participant instructions and the practical business of getting changed on a winter beach, not just the photos.

Wristbands are collected from Salt on the Strand surf shop and a pickup point on the beach slipway, according to the FAQ, with collection hours announced separately. Have your order’s QR code ready, and remember that booking a ticket and collecting your wristband are two different jobs: you need the wristband to get a medal. Even on-the-day entries have to be made online, so don’t count on a cash queue at the slipway. This is a Dash and Splash, not a distance swim — follow the water-safety team and the conditions on the day, and forget about lengths or times.

Accessibility and families

Under-16s must stay with a parent or designated adult for the whole event, the FAQ says. If several adults in your party are going in too, decide beforehand who’s looking after each young person and who’s minding the bags on shore. A costume prize and a medal are lovely, but they’re no substitute for that plan. For age-specific questions the general inclusion policy doesn’t answer, ask the organiser directly.

Leave the dog at home if you can: the organiser advises against bringing dogs into the swim area, given the thousands of participants, loud music and a pyrotechnic starting signal. That’s separate from the ordinary rules for walking a dog on the beach, so anyone watching with a dog may need a different plan from the rest of the party. If you have mobility or sensory needs, contact the team about the spectator layout, the approach and facilities — we found no reserved accessible viewing in the FAQ. And the Folly Farm Park and Ride announcement still says more details will follow, so don’t bank on a timetable or an adapted vehicle yet.

Make a day of it nearby

Colby Woodland Garden near Amroth is a lovely way to spend another daylight stretch of a Pembrokeshire stay. The National Trust describes a former coalfield transformed into a woodland garden, with meadows, a walled garden and paths through the wider estate. Check which areas and facilities are open on your date — the winter tea-room has its own arrangements — and look at the map before picking a walk, as mixed surfaces and slopes mean some routes are easier going than others.

Tenby Museum and Art Gallery is the indoor alternative when its winter calendar allows. Its published winter opening is Tuesday to Friday, but holiday closures still need confirming, so don’t assume it’s open on New Year’s Day just because that falls on a Friday; pick another open day for your culture fix. Both places run their own visitor arrangements. Neither will help with parking or changing for the swim, and neither ticket gets you into the Saundersfoot event.

Questions people ask

Where it is

Map pin shows the approximate area where the event happens. Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Go straight to the source

Independent research. The organiser’s own information always wins — we have not visited or tested the journeys.

• Organiser event information ↗
• Organiser FAQ and 2027 date ↗
• Coastal Cottages: Boxing Day and New Year's Day swims in Pembrokeshire ↗
• Saundersfoot Festivities:current 2027 date,start and theme,opened directly 23 October 2026 ↗
• Saundersfoot Festivities:entry,wristbands,family and transport FAQ,opened directly 23 October 2026 ↗
• National Trust:Colby Woodland Garden ↗
• Tenby Museum:official winter opening and access ↗