Since 2017, a hearty group of folks have gathered at East Beach to kick off the New Year with a Polar Dip in the chilly Pacific Ocean. But this January 1, the bathers will have to take the plunge on their own. The Dip is on hiatus.
Artist Hugh Margerum, who began organizing the event eight years ago with his friend Julie DeAngelis, said that in mid-November, the city, for the first time, required providing lifeguards, trash and recycling receptacles, portable toilets, a permit for all food or beverages provided to the public, liability insurance, and a business tax certificate for any vendors or organizations receiving donations.
“Julie, and I talked about it, like, what are we going to do? It was going to cost probably about $3,000 to fulfill all the things they wanted,” Margerum said.
Ultimately, he and DeAngelis decided to cancel the this coming January’s event, concerned with trying to fundraise on short notice in December when many charities seek donations.
Santa Barbara’s Parks and Recreation department, which is in charge of permitting special events, said permits are required when an event includes more than 75 people. This is to make sure events follow city rules and to prevent a conflict over the location — for example, if two groups want to use a public facility at the same time.
The department said they aim to receive permit applications 90 days in advance, but can work with applications submitted at least 30 days in advance of the event.
The first Polar Dip began with just five friends, Margerum said, but it has grown each year. This past January, more than 200 people took the plunge with many others coming to cheer them on. He even started making certificates and celebratory buttons.
This year, Margerum and DeAngelis partnered with the volunteer group Adam’s Angels, which provides necessities like toiletries and food to homeless people, low-income students, and at-risk youth in the Santa Barbara area.
For the 2025 Polar Dip, they were planning to partner with the educational nonprofit Explore Ecology, which engages students with environmental stewardship and helps keep the ocean clean.
He said that next year, with more advanced warning, they can get the official paperwork in place, and eventually, he hopes, Explore Ecology will to take over the Polar Dip as a fundraising event.
Whatever happens, Margerum believes there’s something essential about people wanting to go in the water.
“I’m not a religious guy,” he said, “but it’s kind of like a baptism in a way. It’s the first day of the New Year, whether you’ve been drinking the night before, or whether you’re just a sporty person, [you] get up early, and it feels good to go in the water and it feels good to go with a whole bunch of people.”
