Portishead Popsicle 2026 - festive cold water swimming gala

A fabulous, festive, cold-water swimming gala that puts the fun in fundraising. If you fancy a festive swimming challenge, a bit of friendly competition and a good excuse to soak in a hot tub, drink mulled wine and eat mince-pies then this is the event for you. In the past water temperatures for Portishead Popsicle have been as low as four degrees celsius - who knows what the weather will bring us this year? Although it's a safe bet that it won't bring us warm! The Popsicle is a cold water swimming gala where the emphasis is on putting the fun in fundraising. All profits from the event will help to support this community run open air pool, and we actively welcome swimmers who want to take on this challenge to raise funds for causes close to their own hearts. We are offering the following events to swimmers over the age of 14: 133m relay 4 swimmers each swimming one length of the pool. In this event there is no differentiation between teams where some wear wetsuits and some don't, and there is no gender requirement for the teams. Teams seeking sponsorship to fundraise for charities or organisations close to their hearts are very welcome, and we'll ensure your charity gets a mention. In past years we've had some wonderfully extravagant fancy-dress outfits amongst our relay teams; competition for 'best fancy dress' is fierce. Speed-demons also welcome, as gold, silver and bronze are awarded on times, with best fancy dress being a distinct category. 133m event (4 lengths) Freestyle; results will be posted for male, female, wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers, but you are welcome to swim just for fun too. Please note that any neoprene at all will put you in the wetsuit category - including caps, boots and / or gloves. 333m event (10 lengths) Freestyle; results will be posted for male, female, wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers, but you are welcome to swim just for fun too. Please note that any neoprene at all will put you in the wetsuit category - including caps, boots and / or gloves. 66.6m fly event (2 lengths) Butterfly; results will be posted for male, female, wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers, but you are welcome to swim just for fun too. Please note that any neoprene at all will put you in the wetsuit category - including caps, boots and / or gloves. Individual Medley (4 lengths) 1 length each of butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke and front crawl to be swum in that order; results will be posted for male, female, wetsuit and non-wetsuit swimmers, but you are welcome to swim just for fun too. Please note that any neoprene at all will put you in the wetsuit category - including caps, boots and / or gloves. The Grand National (2 lengths) You must gallantly ride your trusty inflatable unicorn steed for two lengths, if you become unseated during the race you'll need to remount to finish. Extravagant headwear welcome and as we cannot supply the unicorns you must bring your own steed. There are no gender or wetsuit / skins divisions for this race - as long as you wear something we don't mind what it is. Last year we had a lot of self-identifying unicons. That's OK - we believe strongly in equal rights for all inflatable creatures. And people. Obviously. Fast & Furious (and freezing) Team event - teams of 4 swimmers will have 15 minutes to swim as many lengths as possible relay style. The team that clocks up the most lengths in 15 minutes takes the crown; it's that simple. The freezing part? All 4 of you must stay in the water at all times. If one of your team has had enough before the 15 minutes is up then it's one out, all out and your length total will be recorded at that point. As with all our races if a volunteer or staff member judges a swimmer to be struggling then you'll be asked to get out and the whole team must do so. These teams must be mixed gender, and no more than two team members can wear neoprene. It is VITAL that every member of your team trains properly for this event and is acclimatised enough to spend this amount of time in the water. If you are a casual winter dipper, or in your first season, this is not the event for you. If the water temperature is sub 5c on the day we may shorten the time from 15 minutes for safety reasons. There will be hot tubs available for a warming soak after your swim, mulled wine and other hot drinks are available as are a variety of hot and cold snacks. Spectators are very welcome, free of charge, and they'll have a great view of your swim from our terraces. There will also be a lane available for spur of the moment dippers and swimmers, who can simply arrive and pay on the day. These swimmers should note, however, that the hot tubs are for the sole use of swimmers who have entered the gala. ENTRIES CLOSE ON 4th DECEMBER, but please note that in past years most events have sold out quite quickly so early booking is advisable. REGISTRATION WILL BE OPEN FROM 0830 TO 1030 ON THE DAY, PLEASE ARRIVE IN PLENTY OF TIME FOR YOUR SWIM AND CERTAINLY NO LATER THAN 1030 - IF YOU MISS REGISTRATION YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SWIM. WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REGISTER AFTER 1030, AS THE REGISTRATION STATION WILL BE PACKED UP AND PUT AWAY. RELAY / FAST, FURIOUS & FREEZING TEAM CAPTAINS SHOULD NOTE THAT THEY CANNOT REGISTER THEIR TEAM MATES, ALL SWIMMERS MUST REGISTER THEMSELVES FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE FIRST RACE WILL START AT 0930 AND A FULL SCHEDULE OF RACES, START TIMES AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE START PROCEDURE WILL BE EMAILED TO ALL REGISTERED SWIMMERS NO LATER THAN 6th DECEMBER. FAQs Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event? Swimmers must be over 14 years of age, there is no upper age limit. Do I need to be fit to do this event? You do not need to be very athletically fit, but you must be able to confidently swim the distance you are entering. If you have any underlying medical condition including, but not limited to, any heart condition, low / high/ erratic blood pressure, any respiratory condition or if you are pregnant you should seek medical advice before taking up cold water swimming; you should not swim if you have a fever or chest infection on the day, or if you have experienced diarrhoea / vomiting within the preceding 48 hours. You need to ensure you are properly fuelled on the day, so please don't skip breakfast, and we strongly advise you not to drink alcohol the night before the event. You will be required to submit a medical form when you register. No medical form, no swim. We will send you that in advance, with the schedule information, and it will speed up registration massively if you can print it off, fill it out and bring it with you. We will have some spare on the day for people who have no access to a printer. If you will need to fill it out on the day please allow extra time for registration. There are risks associated with cold water swimming; these include increased risk of cramp, initial hyperventilation, weakness in the limbs, reduced coordination, hypothermia, confusion and significant pressure on the cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine systems. The risks are, however, reduced if you do regular training (see below) prior to the event to ensure that you are acclimatised to cold water. By entering this event you are committing to train properly for this event. Any risks will also be reduced by respecting the judgement of our lifeguards and volunteers, and acting on their requests without question. While we take every reasonable step to minimise and manage risk, it cannot be entirely eradicated in an event such as this. We rely on you taking responsibility for your own training, and cooperating with us on the day, to help us manage the risks involved. Do I need to have cold water swimming experience? Yes, although the 4 length relay event in particular is suitable for people who are new to cold water swimming this winter. You MUST, however, train to make sure that you are used to getting into cold water and know what it feels like to swim in cold water.