Hundreds of Austinites, including Mayor Kirk Watson, celebrated the start of the new year at Barton Springs Municipal Pool Jan. 1. (Elle Bent/Community Impact)
Hundreds of Austinites, including Mayor Kirk Watson, celebrated the start of the new year at Barton Springs Municipal Pool Jan. 1. (Elle Bent/Community Impact)
On a chilly January morning, hundreds of Austinites crowded Barton Springs Municipal Pool to celebrate the start of 2025 with a polar plunge.
The background
The tradition is over 45 years old, according to nonprofit Save Our Springs Alliance, who presents the event. Officials with the nonprofit tabled Jan. 1 near the pool offering merchandise to commemorate the event, in addition to free coffee and donuts.
The temperature of Barton Springs Municipal Pool remains at about 70 degrees year round. (Elle Bent/Community Impact)
The free event, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., brought Austinites young and old to the pool to celebrate. Anyone was able to jump into the pool at anytime throughout the day. Local officials, including Mayor Kirk Watson, also attended on Jan. 1.
The details
The temperature of Barton Springs Pool was about 70 degrees on Jan. 1, warmer than the day's highest temperature, according to the National Weather Service.
Elle joined Community Impact in November 2022 and is the editor of the Central and Southwest Austin editions of Community Impact. She previously covered Austin ISD, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and all things Dripping Springs as a reporter. Elle graduated from St. Edward's University with a degree in communication and minors in journalism and Spanish. As a student, she served as editor-in-chief at Hilltop Views. Prior to CI, she interned at Austin Woman. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @byellebent.
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