New Year’s plunge

Those crazy Dutch! Once you survived Sinterklaas, Christmas and dodged the fireworks during new years eve you think you can finally relax. Well, guess again. How the tradition started I don’t know but on the first of January masses of children, parents, elderly and mostly hangovered adults run in the the ice cold sea wearing nothing but their swinging gear and o yes a little orange hat made by a sausage company.

When I mean masses I mean loads of milky white bodies running towards the sea like their life depends on it. Within seconds the same hurd runs back to their families who are standing by with dry towels and hot chocolate milk oh and a warm sausage. How the Dutch love their sausage!

Would you like to experience this strange tradition? Find here all the spots in the Netherlands where you can join the Unox plunge.  For those of you who would actually like to join in the stampeed and plunge, just take off your clothes and put on an orange hat on. No one will know if you chicken out at the last moment; just make sure to get that orange hat! Don’t fear too cold temperatures: it seems to be quite warm for the period of the year.

 

Nieuwjaarsduik Zandvoort

The New Year’s Dive in Zandvoort may not be the biggest but it is the oldest organized New Year’s Dive in the Netherlands. And next year on Jan. 1, 2024, it will happen again after a two-year absence!

In 1960, five years before the first New Year’s Dive in Scheveningen, a New Year’s Dive was already held in Zandvoort. This was organized by Ok van Batenburg, at the time a swimming instructor at swimming club Njord ’59 in Haarlem. This was probably the first organized New Year’s dive held in the Netherlands.Mr. Van Batenburg died at the age of 90 in 2020 of corona in the care home de Rijp in Bloemendaal where he lived.

 

Nieuwjaarsduik Zandvoort 2024

The New Year’s Dive 2024 will again be one big party. The organization expects about 6,000 participants, considering the average of past times.

Location and registration

The start of the New Year dive is at 14.00 hours. The location where the dive will be held is on the beach of Zandvoort near the Harbour and Beachclub 10. Find more The organization has not yet reported anything about a registration, but for sure you will get an ”orange Unox hat” over there. Follow the Unox Instagram page to keep updated.

Program

The Program:
Read below the program of January 1, 2023 in Zandvoort.

12:00 – 15:00. Varied music program. (also fun for spectators).
13:45 – 14:00 Warming up by The Dance Acadamy en The Fit Acadamy.
14:00 The DUIK
14:15 – 15:30 The SOEP, warm-up and music program

Here‘s all the information.

What to do

Just pull your swimsuit or bikini out of the closet and practice under the shower with cold water. Because count on it being cold during the 2024 New Year’s Dive in Zandvoort.

How about myself? I prefer to experience the plunge from aside, with a warm glühwein in my hand ;-).