Toronto Polar Bear Dip 2026

It's a gorgeous looking day along the waterfront, sunny and crisp, maybe a little too crisp at -10 degrees Celsius but you committed to being brave and you will 'dare to dip'. I am here early to check on things and note that the inner harbour is full of ice and in the dip area the ice is in chunks so unless they clear it away you won't be running into the water.

Entertainment crews are here and setup but there is no registration desks or roped off beach area. Word at the pavillion is that they are still considering if the dip will proceed. Ps I don't see any porta-potties on site were dropped off and it doesn't look like they have opened the pavilion's bathroom at this time. There is no status update on their website or social media accounts at this time. Update: it's a go!!!! They moved west about 50 to 100m where there was some open water.

see more photos after the jump.

Toronto Polar Bear Skate 2025

It's Polar Bear season in Toronto and the cold weather brings us first to the unusual Polar Bear Skate at Bentway Park skating trail. Taking place on Sunday, December 28, 2025 with registration at noon and skating beginning at 1pm this polar event has everyone wearing their underwear. Donations of new or gently used shoes will be collected onsite as part of the skate. Participants from the 2024 skate are shown in the photo at top.

From the event's website, "The Bentway’s boldest winter ritual returns on December 28 with the cheeky Polar Bear Skate! Brave Torontonians are invited to strip down to their skivvies and take a fearless lap around trail to bid farewell to 2025.

12:00pm Registration Opens
All participants must sign a waiver before taking part in the Polar Bear Skate. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. Waivers will be at the yellow check-in tent.

1:00pm Polar Bear Skate starts!
This event lasts 5-10 minutes, so make sure you arrive early to not miss the main event!

Additional Details:

This event will take place entirely outdoors at The Bentway Skate Trail.
The Polar Bear Skate is one of our most popular events. Please only participate if you feel comfortable skating with a large group of people.
Photography, video, and audio recording will occur. By participating in the Polar Bear Skate, you consent to such recording and to the release, publication, exhibition or reproduction of these recordings and photographs.
This event will go ahead rain/snow or shine, however for the safety of all participants it will not proceed if the temperature is -20°C or below.
Skate rentals are; first-come, first-served throughout opening hours."

Toronto Polar Bear Dip 2024

The hard part is getting up early after New Year's Eve, no I am wrong, the hard part is still running into the cold, cold water of Lake Ontario! Still, what a way to celebrate the new year by taking part in the 2024 Toronto Polar Bear Dip on Monday, January 1 at Sunnyside Park. The photo at top was from the start of last year's dip. The following photos are from the 2024 dip.

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This was one of the mildest polar beardips as temps hovered just below freezing and they didn't have to clear any ice away.

The dip is in support of Boost Child, Youth and Advocacy Centre (CYAC) and onsite check in begins at 10am and the dip takes place at 12 noon. Registration costs $30 per person and closes on December 31, 2023. Don't forget that you can fundraise or donate to the charity.

Due to construction of the boardwalk in front of Sunnyside Pavillion the dip was moved a bit to the west of the building. 

Some points to consider is that there are no changerooms so you may have to change out of your cold, wet clothes in your car - wear your swimsuit to the event. Weather will be perfect, from sunny to partly cloudy and a high of 1 degree Celsius. In addition the organizers have prepared the following checklist for the day.

"To make your experience as enjoyable as possible, we recommend at least the following:

Proper Footwear – Stepping on something rocky or pointy isn’t fun in freezing cold water.
Wear full water sandles or water socks (best) or old running shoes (ok, just make sure they fit snugly).
DON’T WEAR FLIP FLOPS!
Lots of towels
A blanket to claim your patch of beach and to change on
Warm loose fitting clothes and footwear that are easy to put on in a hurry when you get out of the water (big loose fitting boots are amazing)
!!! Important !!! Bring a friend to mind your stuff and help you when you get out of the water.
If it’s a really cold day, your feet and fingers won’t work real well after the dip so you’ll probably need some help and since we don’t have change rooms,
someone to hold up a towel for you can be handy…"

Site Location

Sunnyside Park Beach, Toronto
Beach area on the waterside by the bathing pavillion
1755 Lake Shore Blvd West.
Toronto Ontario

See more photos after the jump.

Toronto Polar Bear Dip 2023

The morning started perfectly for a run into the cold waters of Lake Ontario, then at 11am the rain started, otherwise it was a great year for the Toronto Polar Bear Dip - definitely warmer than many previous dips.

The opening run into the lake

After the 2022 dip was cancelled due to Covid precautions it was good to see Toronto support the New Years day event held at Sunnyside Park on January 1, 2023. Enough people came by that they decided to do two waves of brave souls running down the beach into the waters of the inner harbour.

Registration started at 10:30am with the dip starting at noon.  See more pictures of the dip after the jump.

Polar Bear Skate and Polar Bear Dip are coming

Update: Polar Bear Skate to start at 1pm.

See photos of the 2022 Polar Bear Skate here.

See photos of the 2023 Polar Bear Dip here.

Holiday season brings Christmas and then the run up to New Years and events in Toronto don't stop during this time, they just get colder. First up is the Polar Bear Skate on Saturday, December 31 from 12 noon till 2pm at Bentway Park where you can skate in your underwear and donate to a charity clothing drive. Yay for New Years Eve day! You can see my photos from a previous skate here.

From the skate's website, "The Bentway’s Polar Bear Skate returns! Both a clothing drive and a wild way to close out the year, brave Torontonians are invited to strip down to their skivvies and skate the trail for a good cause." The Bentway Skate Trail is located at 250 Fort York Boulevard under the Gardiner Expressway.

Some of the unofficial 2022 dip participants

Compared to the typical crowds of dippers at a previous polar bear event

The next day as the New Year rises bright and early you can continue your adventures in rigid temperatures, although the air temperature is expected to be above freezing (5 degrees Celsius with rain possible) the cold waters of Lake Ontario will surely be a tad uncomfortable. January 1st is the date for the annual Toronto Polar Bear Dip at Sunnyside Beach alongside Lake Shore Boulevard. The event opens at 10:30am and the dip starts at 12 noon. All monies raised go to Boost Child and Advocacy Centre.

From the dip's website, "The Toronto Polar Bear Club was started in 2005 by three guys who wanted to share our love of the Polar Bear Dip with Toronto and to raise funds for great charities that provide services to the people of Toronto. That first year we managed to convince 20 people to jump into Lake Ontario on January 1st. Now we get over 500."

The last few years the dip was cancelled due to Covid precautions but while the official event was cancelled you can't keep hardcore dippers down so groups of people showed up all morning and went running into the water to keep the tradition alive. Rocks in the water make it both difficult and painful to run so remember to bring some water shoes or sandals with straps, no flip flops as they just pop off the second you hit the H2O. You can see my photos of the unofficial 2022 dip here.

Toronto Polar Bear Dip 2020

A new decade, a new dip. Registration starts at 10:30am on Wednesday, January 1 then bodies hit the water at noon. Wind chill is high as the dippers gather at the starting point.

Sunnyside beach beside the ultra cool Sunnyside Pavillion is a good place to dive into the cold waters of Lake Ontario on New Year's Day.

See more photos after the jump.

Upcoming winter Polar Bear events in Toronto

If you want to do something daring and can stand the cold, if only for a little bit, there is time over the next week to get involved with some polar events.

First up this weekend is the Polar Bear Skate at the Bentway Park beside Old Fort York on Sunday, December 29, 2019 from 1-4pm. Registration starts at 1pm and the skate starts at 2pm. There was a large turnout during the inaugural event held in 2018 and hopefully it will only grow in 2019 and beyond. See photos of the 2019 skate on my post here.

From their website; "The Bentway is bringing back the Polar Bear Skate for the second year… so strip down to your skivvies and join us on our Skate Trail! This event is free to attend – just bring your skates and you’re good to go. If you don’t have skates, we have rentals available on-site."

Then the big polar event comes our way on New Years Day during the Toronto Polar Bear Dip. People are asked to arrive at Sunnyside Beach around 10:30am on Wednesday, January 1, 2020 to take part in festivities, grab some free coffee or hot chocolate and see costumes that some individuals and teams wear in support of the charity (Child and Youth Advocacy Centre). Check out my photos of the 2020 Polar Bear Dip on my post here.

Some of the 2020 Dip

I have a great time taking photos at this event as many brave souls stay in the water for some time and it doesn't finish in 30 seconds.

Toronto Brainfreeze Polar Dip 2019

With Brainfreeze you don't have to wait for New Years Day to get chilled to the bone! A crowd of over 500 dippers supported youth mental health to plunge into the cold waters of Lake Ontario at Woodbine Beach.

Registration started st 9am and just after 10am the crowd warmed up with yoga and then a mass takeoff began as everyone ran into the waves of the lake. Windchill was -7 degrees and the water temperature was about 6 degrees celcius.

Apart from waking you up with an adrenaline rush like no other, Brainfreeze can help you: (a) intimidate winter into leaving you alone, (b) obtain everlasting glory on the 'gram, aaaaand (c) make a lifesaving difference for young people struggling with their mental health.

From jackorg's website "We want to build Brainfreeze into a record-breaking nationwide polar bear dip, so talk to your buds and book your spots now! There's a registration fee for each polar bear participant and everyone is asked to fundraise a minimum of $100. All funds raised directly support Jack.org's game-changing youth mental health programs. Join us for the squealing-est feeling-est day of do-goodery in Canada!"

See more of the dope after the jump.