Frosty Fridays Has Become Chicago’s Newest Lake Michigan Morning Meetup

LINCOLN PARK — On a chilly, overcast Friday morning, Jack Maloney and Rachel Kouba stood shoulder to shoulder with more than 100 strangers near the Chess Pavilion, towels in hand, waiting for the signal to jump into Lake Michigan just after sunrise.

“I dragged him here,” Kouba said.

Asked what was going through his mind moments before leaping into the lake, Maloney didn’t hesitate.

“Dread,” he said. “But I love my wife and I want her to be happy, so I guess I’m jumping in the lake.”

The newlyweds were among more than 100 people who gathered at the lake’s concrete edge last week for Frosty Fridays, a fast-growing weekly meetup where Chicagoans and visitors start the day with a plunge into Lake Michigan.

The event was started this spring by 25-year-old Jacob White, who moved to Chicago in November.

Back home in Australia, White and his mates met every Friday morning for an ocean swim and coffee before work, a ritual they called Frosty Fridays.

“Initially I started because I wanted to make friends,” White said. “I moved here during winter, and I was jumping in the lake by myself. As it got warmer, I wondered if anyone else would be interested.”

In April, White posted an invitation on Instagram. About 15 people showed up the first week.

The crowd has grown each week, drawing runners, cyclists, tourists and first-timers looking for a jolt to start the day.

For Olivia Jordan, the event was a spontaneous addition to a work trip.

The Philadelphia-area resident was scrolling Instagram on the train from O’Hare after landing in Chicago for a research conference when videos of Frosty Fridays began appearing in her feed.

“I kind of felt like I had to do this,” Jordan said. “I trekked like an hour up from the University of Chicago campus at 5 a.m. to be here. I feel like that’s part of being in a city, getting the chance to make those spontaneous decisions.”

Three friends visiting from Atlanta also rearranged their Friday morning plans after spotting the event on Instagram.

“We wanted to do a nice morning bike ride,” Nate Sarapan said. “Then you finish it off with the cold plunge. Everyone’s out here, everyone’s got good vibes.”

His friend, Maggie Nguyen, said the draw wasn’t just the swim.

“We saw that it was such a community of people doing this spontaneous thing to jump in a cold lake,” Nguyen said.

For White, that’s exactly what he hoped would happen.

“I hope Frosty is a place where people can come, feel welcome and just meet a new friend,” White said. “If that’s all it does, then I’ve done my job.”

Frosty Fridays is careful not to bill itself as a swim club.

In 2021, friends Andrew Glatt and Nicole Novotny started Friday Morning Swim Club at Montrose Harbor with just eight swimmers. The weekly meetup quickly exploded into one of Chicago’s most recognizable summer traditions, drawing thousands of people before organizers canceled the official event in 2024 after failing to reach a permitting agreement with the Park District.

Asked about Frosty Fridays, a Park District spokesperson said swimming is only allowed at its 22 designated beaches when lifeguards are on duty, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Public safety officers were at Friday’s gathering and reminded participants that swimming in unsanctioned areas is prohibited.

White said he knew about Friday Morning Swim Club before moving to Chicago but didn’t set out to recreate it. Instead, he wanted to create a consistent Friday morning ritual where strangers could meet before work, jump into the lake and build community.

“I think people are craving community,” White said. “It’s hard to get people off their phones and outside. As long as people come here, feel welcome and meet a new friend, that’s what’s important.”

Carlos Viramontes had already finished his morning run by the time hundreds of swimmers counted down and plunged into the lake.

The Gold Coast resident didn’t bring a swimsuit, opting to watch from the shoreline. Viramontes was a regular at Friday Morning Swim Club and thinks Frosty Fridays has a nice ring to it.

“Maybe I’ll jump in after my run next week,” he said, knowing the weather is supposed to be in the 90s.

As the last swimmers climbed onto the concrete and wrapped themselves in towels, White made his rounds and introduced himself to nearly all of the jumpers.

“There’s something about jumping in the lake in the morning,” White said. “You get out and you feel like a million bucks. It’s like you’ve had 10 coffees. Then you’re talking to people, meeting everyone. And it’s Friday. Friday’s just that sweet spot.”