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Hundreds Brave the Cold for a Cause at East Hampton’s 2026 New Year’s Day Polar Plunge
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Hundreds Brave the Cold for a Cause at East Hampton’s 2026 New Year’s Day Polar Plunge
2026 New Year's Day Polar Plunge to Benefit East Hampton Pantry. Photo by Ron Esposito
Source:
Freezin’ for a Reason. Braving the cold on New Year’s Day to raise funds for the East Hampton Food Pantry
While many people spent the first day of the new year by a warm fire, at brunch with friends, or in bed nursing a hangover (no judgment!), an estimated 600 people of all ages gathered at Main Beach in East Hampton to brave the cold for a cause: the annual East Hampton Polar Plunge benefiting the East Hampton Food Pantry.
With the air temperature at 28 degrees—made even colder by gusting winds—and the water hovering at 43 degrees, the crowd bundled up in parkas and hats to cheer on plungers who stripped down to swimsuits and charged into the Atlantic Ocean.
The wind may have been ripping, but the warmth of the crowd—and the smiles on everyone’s faces, whether they took the plunge or not—said it all.
Serving The Hungry on The East End
Funds raised provide critical support for the East Hampton Food Pantry, which supplies meals to thousands of people across the community. Founded in 1989, the organization’s mission is simple: no one on the East end should go hungry. Each week, hundreds of residents visit the food pantry on Pantigo Road, a scene repeated at nine food pantries from Montauk to Hampton Bays, collectively serving approximately 3,000 people each week.
For more information or to make a donation, visit easthamptonfoodpantry.org.
Photographs by Ron Esposito (@ronespositophotography)