The Chicago River Swim presented by the City of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson will bring back The Big Jump and expand the 2026 field to 750 qualified swimmers. The Big Jump will kick off the weekend on Friday, September 18th, giving registered members of the public a rare, sanctioned opportunity to enter the river while raising funds for ALS research and youth swim education. The Big Jump revives an event first held in 2017, when Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita and Friends of the Chicago River brought public officials together in Chinatown for a sanctioned jump into the river. The event celebrated progress in restoring the river and demonstrated a shared commitment to making the Chicago-Calumet River system safely swimmable and accessible to all. This year’s Chicago River Swim will take place Sunday, September 20th. For registration or general information, visit ChicagoRiverSwim.org.