What is Swim Club?

Friday Morning Swim Club is a free, weekly meet-up at Montrose Harbor for people who appreciate slow mornings and Chicago’s unique landscape. Attend alone or with friends to swim and drink coffee with community members who enjoy social routine and activities that support organic conversation.

The group welcomes all people, especially those looking to try something new. Embrace simplicity and enjoy a moment to feel present in or out of the water — or both.

meet you at the lake

💘🌊

meet you at the lake 💘🌊

friday morning dos & don’ts

  • Before showing up to Swim Club, we recommend you consider the following:

    1. How you’re getting there. Montrose Harbor tends to get busy starting around 6:45 a.m. Plan to leave early if you’re driving. Biking is highly encouraged, if that’s an option for you.

    2. What to bring. A float or noodle, a towel, a mug and good vibes.

  • All attendees gather at 7:05 a.m. for morning announcements. It’s brief —we only need 5 minutes of your time to run through a few important items. Swimming and coffee pouring begins immediately after.

  • We like to leave the lakefront cleaner than we found it. Please dispose of any trash in the waste bins provided by the parks.

  • Please leave all professional camera equipment at home. Film and phone cameras are perfect for Swim Club. 🙃

    Friday mornings at the lake are not a time or place to sell/pitch your brand. Please respect this request.

    Need clarity? Peep our explanation here.

The coffee

Printer’s Row Coffee Co. brings over twenty gallons of single-origin cold brew to each swim for free. Nicole and volunteers begin serving coffee immediately following morning announcements. Bring your own mug to snag some brew and anticipate waiting in line with friends. If you love coffee more than lake, we recommend you fill your cup first. It’s a bummer, but sometimes we run out. 

Think you’ve got what it takes to win “Mug of the Week?” Meet Andrew by the coffee area between 7:30 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. so he can take a photo of your mug. We’ll share the best on @fridaymorningswimclub so our Instagram community can vote on a weekly champ. If you win, you and your mug skip the line next swim. You don’t need to be a coffee drinker to participate, but it helps. 🙂

LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT CAMERAS AND PITCHING PRODUCTS

We have values, yes we do. We have values, how ‘bout you? 🙃

Friday Morning Swim Club brings people together for genuine community and connection. Respecting our purpose and values means leaving professional camera equipment and product pitches at home. This is not a content creation club, nor an opportunity to sell something.

It’s true. Andrew photographs Friday Morning Swim Club. But Andrew also co-owns the organization. For Swim Club co-founders, visual storytelling is an important part of sharing what they’ve built and how it continues to evolve. While we can’t stop you from ignoring our requests, we can enforce the removal of our name from any content or inspired products.

If you’re a sincere brand looking to collaborate, please email us at hello@fridaymorningswimclub.com to discuss meaningful collaborations. We do not distribute products on site, but we are open to lasting partnerships with shared values. 

bigger than chicago

In the midst of Season 2, a couple from Oregon joined a swim in Chicago. Assuming they were visiting Chicago for unrelated reasons, Andrew and Nicole asked them what brought them to the city. They said Swim Club. After a few moments of confusion and clarification, they realized Swim Club had grown bigger than just the local community.

At the start of Season 3, they began to track where visiting swimmers joined from and compiled the locations on a map (click to enlarge). Want to add to the map? Look for the weekly location submission on Swim Club’s Instagram stories.📍

PLEASE READ BEFORE ATTENDING FRIDAY MORNING SWIM CLUB™

When participating in Friday Morning Swim Club™ events, it is assumed that all participants are responsible for their own safety and of their dependents, including but not limited to children and animals, at the event. Friday Morning Swim Club™ is merely providing an opportunity for participants to enjoy the event together and is not assuming responsibility or liability for the safety of the participants.