DOWNTOWN — The Chicago River Swim is returning for another year, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Thursday.
The Sept. 20 race will raise funds for ALS research at Northwestern University, as well as swimming education and water safety programming for youth at the Chicago Park District, Johnson said.
Last year was the first river swim in almost a century, with 500 open water swimmers diving into the river during the event. This year, the event will welcome another 500 swimmers. Applications for those 500 spots open March 31 and close April 27.
“This moment symbolizes the incredible progress that Chicago has made in restoring the health of the Chicago River,” Johnson said. “Just a generation ago, this type of event was unimaginable. Last year’s inaugural swim was the first open water swim organized in the Chicago River in nearly a century.”
Hundreds of people plunged into the Chicago River on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, for the first official Chicago River Swim in nearly 100 years. More than 300 qualified swimmers participated in the event, which marks the return of competitive open-water swimming to the river, long a dumping ground for industrial pollution and sewage. Credit: Victor Hilitski for Block Club Chicago
Participants will be announced the week of May 4. All applicants will undergo an eligibility review to ensure they meet established safety and experience requirements, according to a press release.
Participants will swim from the Dearborn Street bridge to Wolf Point and back to the Clark Street bridge. Spectators will be able to watch the one- and two-mile swims from the Riverwalk.
River swims used to be a feature of life in Chicago in the early 20th century, but official swim events in the river ended in 1926, according to A Long Swim, the group that coordinates the event.
Last year’s event marked the return of swimming in the river, after such events were banned starting in the 1920s because of sewage and other pollution.
Water testing is done on Sept. 18, 2025 ahead of the Chicago River Swim — which the return of competitive open-water swimming on the river, the first in nearly 100 years. Credit: Victor Hilitski for Block Club Chicago
“When [Friends of the River] was founded in 1979, the river was fenced off. It was polluted … there was sewage in the water every three days. There was barely any wildlife, seven super-hardy species of fish, and it just wasn’t a place for community and joy,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the River. “Today we know that the river’s healthier than it’s ever been.”
Leading up to the event, the University of Illinois Chicago will conduct frequent “DNA-based testing for microbial pollutants” to make sure the water quality complies with the USEPA standards. The swim will only take place if the river’s water quality meets this standard, according to a press release.
Click here for more information on how to register for the event.
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