30th Annual Swim for Life in Provincetown This Weekend

The first weekend after Labor Day always brings the annual Swim for Life to Provincetown Harbor. It's a challenging 1.4 mile swim, in open water, from the lighthouse on Long Point to the shores of the Boatslip Beach Club, on the edge of the harbor in Provincetown's West End neighborhood. Click to read about Swim for Life history. To date, the event has raised some $4 Million for AIDS, women's health and our community. It is perhaps the most joyous outpouring of love, energy and spirit in Provincetown every year. We invite you to join us!

The Celebration of Life is the year's most anticipated concert.
It is perhaps the most uplifting event in PTown every year.

Whether you are a swimmer, a volunteer, or a "cheerleader" on the beach, hooting, hollering and applauding the swimmers as they reach the shore, you'll want to be a part of this. Many people will participate by attending the lovely Celebration of Life on the night before the swim. This marvelous, free concert, produced by John Thomas, will take place at 8 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, at 236 Commercial Street, tonight, Friday, September 8th, 2017. Dozens of performers, singers, musicians and others will definitely raise the spirits of a packed house, so go early to get a seat. The UU is wheelchair accessible.

Swimmers and paddlers will assemble at Long Point Light
for the 11 AM start of Provincetown's annual Swim for Life.

The Swim will begin at 11 AM on Long Point, with boat rides provided to get swimmers to the starting point. Kayakers, paddle boarders and folks in boats will accompany the swimmers safely across the harbor. Click to find out about registering as a swimmer or a volunteer, which happens Saturday morning at the Boatslip. Whether you're a swimmer or are cheering them on, it's exhilarating.

The first swimmer reaches the Boatslip, greeted by a cheering
crowd. The Mermaid Brunch and awards follow on the deck.

The Mermaid Brunch, a free buffet catered by Far Land Provisions, will be held at the Boatslip from noon until 2 PM, with Zoë Lewis and friends entertaining. Around 1 PM, or whenever the last swimmer safely reaches the shore, Swim founder Jay Critchley will lead the awards ceremony for swimmers who have raised the most money in pledges or have participated in the most swims. This is another inspiring event giving all a feeling of community, even those who have joined us from other parts of the world. Many people return to PTown every year to participate in the Swim for Life.

It all started with 18 swimmers raising $6,000.
This photo shows Jay Critchley and Roger Beatty registering two unknown swimmers  at a makeshift desk on the beach in the first Swim, in 1988. 
This year we'll see over 150 volunteers making it happen, and more than 400 swimmers taking the plunge. Come and join us for some or all of these events and be a part of the 30^th, the 2017 Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla, September 8^th and 9^th in Provincetown!