You Can Again Swim in the Charles This Summer

City Splash 2016/Photo courtesy of Charles River Conservancy

Forget the pool and the beach. This summer, you can swim in that good old dirty water.

For the fifth year in a row, the Charles River Conservancy is hosting City Splash, an afternoon of sanctioned swimming in the Charles. And don’t worry—despite that old nickname, the river is much cleaner than it was years ago. (The Charles River Conservancy even says it’s the cleanest urban river in the country.)

The public dip is scheduled for the afternoon of July 18, with swimmers allowed to splash for a 25-minute time slot between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration is already sold out, but there will be space for a limited number of walk-on swimmers. We recommend getting there early if you don’t have a reservation.

And if you don’t make it, just hold tight. The Charles River Conservancy has been pushing for permanent public swimming in the river, hopefully culminating in a swim park along its banks someday in the future.

City Splash, by donation, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Fiedler Dock, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, thecharles.org.