On 1 January 2019, around 120 brave souls took the plunge into the cool waters (7 degrees) of Lake Geneva.

Source: Facebook – Sergio Bianchini
The event, which started 22 years ago, kicked off around midday with a champagne celebration.
According to Le Matin, the event was started by a local resident from Lapland in 1997. The first year, there were only two participants. Since then the event has grown progressively, taking off in 2011 when it was discovered by participants in the Coupe de Noel, an annual lake swim attracting more than 2,000 competitors.
Sergio Bianchini, a regular New Year lake reveller was interviewed by Le News in 2017.
More on this:
Le Matin article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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