Swim Serpentine One Mile

2025 details to be confirmed.

The festival

The free Festival at Swim Serpentine is the ideal place to interact with fellow open water swimming enthusiasts before or after your swim! You can also visit one of our many stands to pick up some essential swimming kit, from goggles to tow-floats.

Swimmer safety

Your safety is the number-one priority at Swim Serpentine, so the water safety team will be standing by to assist on the day. The Swim Serpentine course will be clearly marked by large buoys, so you’ll find it easy to make your way around your chosen swim distance.

It’s a good idea to complete your chosen distance in full in a pool before the event, and also to practice swimming in open water beforehand, so you have the best possible experience at Swim Serpentine.

On the day

After swimmers have exited the water and passed through the check-out area, they will need to retrieve their bag and change – then they will be able to meet up with family and friends. Most of the Swim Serpentine event site is open to all, so meeting up with loved ones afterwards should be simple.

Swimmers with disabilities

This event supports participants with a range of disabilities at Swim Serpentine.

There are a number of measures to help swimmers who require assistance to feel safe and confident at the event, including:

• a ramped entrance into and exit out of the Serpentine
• assistance with entering and exiting the water
• accessible toilets and changing facilities
   

Please note that you do not need to enter a specific wave at the event to receive support.

Event HQ

The Serpentine Lake
Hyde Park
London
Greater London
W2 2UH
UK

A classic distance in the world of open-water swimming events, the one-mile swim covers one full lap (1.6K) of the Serpentine. Swimmers take anywhere from 20 minutes to one hour to complete this distance.

Map

Wetsuits and tow-floats

Everyone who takes part in Swim Serpentine must either wear a full-length wetsuit or use a tow-float for safety reasons. 

Wetsuits are optional at Swim Serpentine, but if you choose not to wear one you must use a tow-float instead. 

Water safety

The course will be clearly marked by large buoys, and a water safety team is on hand to assist any swimmers on the day if needed. All swimmers should complete their chosen distance in full while training in a pool. Swimmers should also practise swimming in the open water before the event.

London Marathons Events inspires and delivers innovation in mass participation event sustainability.

Sustainability

• Bottles and cups

  Recycle every plastic bottle.

• Emissions

  Reduce power usage and use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel over red diesel in generators.

• Waste

  Separate waste to support recycling and reduce plastic with plastic-free goody bags made from sugarcane.

All finishers will receive a medal after their swim – no matter what their time and ability – as well as a souvenir swim hat to wear on the day!

Every year thousands of swimers take part in this event and fundraise for charity. While this is hugely beneficial to the charities it gives the participant advantages too, from supporting a cause that is close to your heart to securing a place in this highly sought-after event and much more.

Benefits of swimming for charity

Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get training, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:

• Fundraising support

  Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think videos for social media, branded imagery and testimonials from previous participants.

• Training support

  Whether this is your first swim or your fifth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elites too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation. Experts include Runningwithus, Full Potential and Olympic champs.

• Branded swimming kit

  When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to wear on the big day, and often a charity swim hat for training.

• Support on the day

  When you're partway through your swim and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you glide past!

• Post-race recovery

  Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their participants. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who are supporting that cause.

• Exclusive social groups

  You won't be the only person swimming for that charity, so it's well worth meeting others through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise training sessions, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.

What are charity places?

Charities buy places in this event, then give them to swimmers who agree to raise money for the charity – these are called charity places. Charity places are a great way to support a good cause and get a place in the event, especially if general entries are closed.

Swimming challenges and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which charity will you swim for?

2025 details to be confirmed.

Swim Serpentine is amazing because you are out in the open and you are racing against yourself. You're not even really racing! You're just out in mother nature, trying to take in some of the views. There's so much more enjoyment in that than a race. Mark Durrant, Swim Serpentine two-mile finisher