2020 Coney Island New Years Day Polar Bear Plunge
photo by Amanda Hatfield

Coney Island New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge 2020 in pics

After an unusually warm New Year’s Day in 2019, 2020 got off to a more seasonal start in Coney Island on Wednesday (1/1) on a brisk, windy day with temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s. The cold weather didn’t deter hundreds from taking part in the 116th annual New Year’s Day Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge; starting at 1 PM, participants, dressed in costumes, Viking helmets, Santa hats, or just their clothes, took a dip in the chilly Atlantic. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club organizes the plunge each year, and proceeds go to area charities. The club, which is the oldest of its kind in the country, also swims on Sundays from November through April. Check out pictures from the 2020 edition of the plunge in the gallery above.