Brigantine’s 25th Annual Polar Plunge Expected To Draw 2,000 Swimmers To Support Veterans
This New Year’s Day at noon, hundreds of people will dash into the icy Atlantic Ocean at Brigantine’s Municipal Pavilion, celebrating 25 years of this bold tradition. What started as a dare between six friends after a New Year’s party has grown into this huge fundraising event. The plunge has given over $1 million to the Fisher House Foundation, pulling in about $80,000 in recent years. The foundation gives free housing to families while their veterans get medical care. An impressive 97% of donations go directly to helping veterans.
Each year, about 5,000 onlookers fill the beach. Most people come in through Route 87, the only way onto this peaceful barrier island. “Most of the participants are year-round or summer residents of the city,” said Emmett Turner, an organizer, “It’s a big social event.”
The fun kicks off at 10 a.m. with music and food trucks. At 11, a moving veterans ceremony leads into a fun costume parade, building excitement for the big splash at noon.
Two other beach towns join in on January 1st — Atlantic City holds its plunge at noon, while Asbury Park’s Sons of Ireland Beach Plunge begins at 1:05 p.m.
Taking the plunge is free but you need to sign a waiver. The town drops its 4×4 beach permit fees until 1 p.m., and nearby bars welcome chilly swimmers with warm-up parties. BearWear is up for grabs at the VFW and Riptide Bait and Tackle. Everything wraps up at 1 p.m.
