DOWNTOWN — The Chicago River Swim scheduled for Sunday morning has been cancelled due to storms.
The Chicago River Swim organization made the announcement at 4 a.m. Sunday on social media:
“After monitoring weather and river conditions throughout the night, we have made the difficult decision to cancel today’s Chicago River Swim,” the organization said. “Current conditions do not allow us to safely proceed. Participants should not report to the event start area this morning.”
According to a joint statement by Chicago River Swim and the city of Chicago, storms hitting the Chicago area this weekend had the potential for a combined sewer overflow that could affect water quality, as well as the risk of lightning.
The event will not be rescheduled this year, but it will take place in 2027, organizers said.
“We know how much training, preparation, and heart our swimmers put into this event, and we share their disappointment,” Doug McConnell, Chicago River Swim founder, said in a statement. “The support from the City of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson has been incredible, and we’re grateful for their partnership and commitment to this event. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it possible and who believes in what we’re building together for Chicago and its river. We’ll be back on September 19, 2027, and can’t wait to welcome our swimmers to the river once again.”
Participants are still invited to get together this morning, according to a message on the Chicago River Swim’s website: “Participants are invited to join us at the Chicago Brewhouse, originally planned as our post-event celebration location, to gather with fellow swimmers and the Chicago River Swim community from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM.”
The Chicago Brewhouse is located on the riverwalk near the intersection of Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue.
Further cancellation updates are available on the Chicago River Swim’s website.
The scheduled river swim event was supposed to feature a one- and two-mile swim for hundreds of participants. The inaugural event in 2025 had 263 swimmers and was the first organized open-water swim in the Chicago River in 98 years, marking a dramatic transformation in water quality in the Downtown portion of the river.
The Chicago River Swim’s Big Jump event did take place Friday.
The inclement weather this weekend also caused the Douglass Park music festival Riot Fest to shorten its schedule and end a few hours early Saturday, for the first time in that fest’s recent history.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the city through 7 a.m. Sunday. Heavy rainfall is expected through early Sunday morning, with a possible thunderstorm before 1 p.m. followed by a chance of showers and the temperature falling to around 64 by 4 p.m, according to the weather service.
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