The White Christmas Dip is at 10.30am on Christmas morning beside Boscombe Pier. Registration opens on 6 November; the ticket is listed at £15.

The White Christmas Dip is on again this year: 10.30am on Christmas morning, Friday 25 December 2026, on the beach beside Boscombe Pier. The organiser’s site says “Registration will open on 6th November 2026”, so you cannot sign up yet. The registration ticket in its online shop is listed at £15, shown as out of stock until then.

It is a fancy dress sea dip that raises money for Macmillan Caring Locally, the local charity behind the Macmillan Unit at Christchurch Hospital. The charity’s own terms say the sponsorship money goes to that unit.

The essentials

2026
Date Friday 25 December 2026 (Christmas Day)
Dip time 10.30am
Where Boscombe beach, to the left of Boscombe Pier as you look out to sea
Registration opens 6 November 2026, online
Ticket listed at £15 on the organiser’s site
Safety cover Southbourne Surf Lifesaving Club
Organisers Tom Baker, John White and Macmillan Caring Locally

How the morning works

The organiser asks “Dippers” to arrive in plenty of time, sign in at the registration desk, and join the pre-dip fun on the beach before the 10.30am start. The one rule it stresses: report back to the registration desk after your dip, so the team knows you are safely out of the water.

Southbourne Surf Lifesaving Club is the safety team on the day, and the organiser asks everyone to listen to the lifeguards and to the announcements, which are there to keep people safe.

Which side of the pier

The organiser’s pages disagree. Its older “how to take part” page, last edited in 2022, says the dip is to the right of Boscombe Pier as you look out to sea. Its tips page, updated in September 2026, and the 2026 ticket description both say to the left. Go by the newer wording and look for the registration desk.

Tips from the organiser

The organiser’s own dip tips, in short:

  • Wear wetsuit boots or old shoes. The stretch of beach used has stones on it and is painful in bare feet.
  • Think about your costume. You are running into the sea in it: paper outfits fall apart and pollute the water, and foam soaks up water and weighs you down. Do not leave costume litter on the beach.
  • Bring change. Rossi International serves hot drinks on the beach, with all the proceeds going to the charity.

The organiser’s terms warn plainly that the water “can be very cold” at the time of the event, and that it is your responsibility to be fit enough to take part; if in doubt, it recommends getting medical advice first. Registering means ticking that you accept those terms.

Parking and getting there

The organiser’s advice is to park away from the pier and walk down, because it “can get very congested around the pier”, and to walk, cycle or car share if you can.

The council car park nearest the beach is Boscombe Undercliff, BH5 1BN, with 355 spaces. BCP Council’s car park page says charges apply every day, including bank holidays, and between 29 October and 31 March it costs £2.70 for up to two hours and £5.30 for longer. It is open 8am to midnight and cannot take card payments at the machines, so pay by RingGo or cash. The council’s beach page also lists Overstrand car park as nearby.

There are no trains anywhere on Christmas Day, and buses run only a skeleton service. Last year’s Christmas Day buses are on our Christmas trains and buses page, which will carry this year’s times once morebus publishes them. Other car park tariffs are on our parking in Bournemouth page, and anything live on the roads is on roadworks and travel.

Is it on this year?

Yes. The organiser’s home page, updated on 24 September 2026, gives the 6 November 2026 registration date, and its tips page was updated the same day with the 10.30am Christmas morning time and the Boscombe Pier location. A JustGiving campaign page titled “White Christmas Dip 2026” is also live.

What is still to come

  • Registration, from 6 November. We will check the ticket price, any age limits and the sign-in times once it opens.
  • This year’s fundraising target, if the charity sets one.

For the rest of the season, see the Christmas market, Santa’s grotto and pantomime pages, and the full diary on what’s on in Bournemouth.

Sources