Cheltenham Lido's Christmas Day Swim is on Friday 25 December: gates 10.45am, plunge at 11am, £5, and no more than two widths. Booking is on the Lido's website.

Cheltenham Lido’s Christmas Day Swim is on for 2026. It is on Friday 25 December, with gates opening at 10.45am and the plunge at 11am, and tickets are £5. The Lido calls it one of its “most cherished traditions” and says it expects “hundreds of festive swimmers” (Cheltenham Lido).

Overview

  • When: Friday 25 December 2026. Gates 10.45am, plunge 11am
  • Where: Cheltenham Lido, GL53 7PU
  • Price: £5, booked through the Lido’s website
  • How far: “no more than two widths please”
  • Sponsor: this year’s event is sponsored by CPC (Complete Pool Controls)

What happens on the day

The Lido’s page gives the two times and one rule: gates at 10.45am, in at 11am, and no more than two widths. It describes the swim as a community event for anyone “taking the plunge for fun, carrying on a family tradition, or simply looking for a festive challenge”. You can also set up a JustGiving page and raise money for the Lido.

The water will be cold

The Lido’s 2026/27 cold water timetable began on Saturday 24 October. In its notice about that season, the Lido says the heating has been switched off, so the pool temperature falls with the weather, and that the showers are cold water only. It advises swimmers to dry off, dress in warm layers and warm up gradually rather than using sudden intense heat, and not to stay in longer than is comfortable.

The same notice says the heated cafe is open during swimming sessions, and that there is no spectator charge in winter. The Christmas Day page does not say whether those arrangements apply on the day, so check with the Lido if you are bringing people to watch. If you have not swum in cold water before, it runs Cold Water Swimming Inductions, listed on its website.

Getting there

No trains run anywhere on Christmas Day, and our Christmas trains and buses page has the bus position. The Lido has car park information on its own site, and the council’s car parks and their Christmas closures are covered on our parking in Cheltenham page. Closures are on Cheltenham roadworks and travel.

Also on Christmas morning

Cheltenham parkrun has declared a Christmas Day run at Pittville Park, with a start time still to be posted. If you are eating out afterwards, see Christmas dinner in Cheltenham. The rest of the season is on what’s on in Cheltenham.

Sources