With just four days until the 14 July, we are super excited about The Outdoor Swimmer Henley Swim Festival.

Starting with the swimming, there are events for all standards along this famous stretch of the River Thames. The swims take place directly after Henley Rowing Regatta, and the rowers’ booms are still in place, marking out a perfectly straight-line course down the river. For speedsters, there’s the club wave, with cash prizes for the top clubs. For the curious, there’s the suits versus skins challenge where you swim the course twice, once with and once without your wetsuit, to find out how much your wetsuit helps (or hinders) your swimming. There’s a women’s only wave, a half-mile wave and, for children 8-years and above, a 200m splash where a parent or carer can swim alongside, free of charge.

As in previous years, we will have our festival marquee complete with an endless pool where you’ll be able to sign up for a free video analysis session (limited places on a first-come, first-served basis, so get in quick). Then, new for this year, we’re adding the Thames Lido Swim Area – a fully lifeguarded section of the river to either try outdoor swimming for the first time or test a piece of kit or simply cool off (it is of course going to be a glorious day).

Adding to the atmosphere, there will be live music from local bands and commentary from BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Presenter, Ben Croucher, who will be hosting the event and interviewing swimmers throughout the day.

If you need to stretch out and unwind between or after swims, then pop along to one of the free yoga sessions, book yourself a sports massage, grab yourself some free “Green Cola” or order a pint from the local brewery, who’ll be setting up shop on the site for the day. There will also be healthy and hearty food concessions and a drinks bar.

And that’s not all!

With more than 20 plus swimming-related retailers on site (see below for those already confirmed), this would be the perfect time to replace some of your old kit. If you need a wetsuit for the day, 2XU will have them for hire. There will also be goody bags from Simply Swim and a sample station to collect more goodies. And for children, there is a craft tent and face painting.

We are also supporting the Big Jump, a European initiative to support rivers that will go ahead regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations. We will be playing our part with a big countdown and asking as many swimmers and spectators as possible to jump in the Thames at the same time! The safety crew will be on hand to keep everyone safe.

Finally, we are re-introducing camping to make it a true festival experience. Pitch your tent right by the riverside on Saturday to make sure you’re ready to swim bright and early the next morning.

Find out more and reserve your space (including camping)

• Above Below
• Alida Herbst
• Andrea Hall Design
• Aqua Living
• Aspire
• Deakin and Blue
• Dolphin Kick
• Facepainting
• Founded Wellness Yoga
• Full Steam Nutrition
• Green Cola
• Heather Berry Craft
• Henley Outdoor Swimming Club
• Loddon Brewery
• Nancy Farmer
• Outdoor Swimmer
• Outdoor Swimmer Book Nook
• Restube
• Scimitar
• Selkie
• Swim For Tri
• STA
• SwimQuest
• Swim Tayka
• Swimovate
• SwimTrek
• Swimzi
• The Dorabros and Teenage Cancer Trust
• Total Immersion / Possible Pools
• Thames Lido
• Yonda
• Zoggs
• 2XU wetsuit hire

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