Chicago’s Friday Morning Swim Club canceled after issues with park district

Chicago’s trending Friday Morning Swim Club has canceled their swims for the rest of the season after police showed up at an unofficial gathering on Friday, August 25.

The organizers of the Montrose Harbor swim club announced Thursday night on their Instagram that the meet-up was canceled for the week due to dangerous swimming conditions. Despite a beach hazard in effect, hundreds of people still showed up to jump into Lake Michigan. The Chicago Police Department sent officers to the 4400 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive to monitor the peaceful gatherers.

The founders of the club, Andrew Glatt and Nicole Novotny, who weren’t present, were told that multiple park district employees and CPD officers were seeking out people with swim club gear, threatening to arrest them. The Chicago Park District said the club still hasn’t submitted a permit application for the event, which would ensure the meet-up doesn’t pose a safety threat to participants and allows an appropriate and responsible use of public property.

Park district officials said they approached the club organizers about applying for a permit in July and never heard from them. The organizers said they looked into getting a permit but didn’t apply for one because Montrose Harbor wasn’t listed in the permit application. Water safety experts have expressed their concerns with the club and how it meets in an area that isn’t monitored by lifeguards and relies on unapproved flotation devices that were banned by the park district.

Although Friday Morning Swim Club’s 2023 season has ended early, the group still plans to hold events throughout the year that will keep their community engaged.