For many, New Year’s Day means sleeping in and nursing a hangover, but some opt to start the year on a different, colder note. The annual New Year’s Day polar plunges are back for 2026 for those looking to start the year with a shock. One long-standing plunge takes place at Ocean Beach, at the Great Highway & Taraval Street, beginning at 12:00 pm. After diving into the ocean, The Riptide will host an after-party, complete with plenty of drinks and a cozy fireplace perfect for forgetting the frigid water.
Another plunge was recently started by popular restaurant The Laundromat, which hosts a 10 am dip by Balboa Street on Ocean Beach. After running into the Ocean, you can expect a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese provided by Grand Coffee and The Laundromat, respectively. Plus, if you donate $60 or more to local nonprofit Glide, you will get a polar plunge hoodie to commemorate your start to 2026.
New Year’s polar plunges have been around for decades and are not unique to San Francisco. Over 100 years ago, a swim club called the L Street Brownies took a New Year’s Day swim in the Boston Harbor, and it has continued to be a tradition for many years. While for some, running into the cold water is a once-a-year occurrence, for many, cold plunging is a common practice. Taking a cold plunge for health benefits has become increasingly popular in recent years and is now common at spas and saunas. It also has a very long history, and a cold plunge followed by enjoying a sauna is a time-honored tradition in Finland.
So, if you want to start the year with a jolt (or just are desperate for a hangover cure), you can head to Ocean Beach at either 10 am or noon to join an eager group of plungers on January 1, 2026.
No lifeguards are present at the polar plunges, and we recommend checking the weather for any coastal warnings before embarking on the New Year’s tradition.