Swimmable Cities European Forum 2026

UPDATED PROGRAM!! SWIMMABLE CITIES EUROPEAN FORUM – BASEL, AUG 11-12 2026

Making Future Cities Swimmable: Urban Strategy, Water Safety, Waterfront Partnerships & Sponge Cities

Welcome to the ultimate ‘workcation’ - Be part of the official Rhine Swim, join the Swimmable Cities European Forum and then choose your own Swiss adventure!

You’re invited to join urban leaders and changemakers for an immersive knowledge exchange in one of the most iconic swimmable cities in the world - Basel, Switzerland. Before the Forum begins, you’ll have the unique opportunity to join the annual Rhine Swim!

Focusing on four Innovation streams – Urban Strategy (Policy), Water Safety (Practice), Waterfront Investment (Partnerships) and Sponge Cities (Permeability) – the Forum will showcase best practice solutions and promote peer knowledge exchange to accelerate the Next Wave of urban swimming infrastructure. This is part of a vision of creating more liveable, resilient, equitable and prosperous cities through the catalytic power of ‘swimmability’. This is your chance to learn from pioneers and become part of the Next Generation of the urban swimming movement!

After the Forum, we invite you to extend your stay and Experience Basel - a city where the Rhine is not just scenery, but everyday life - clean, swimmable, and deeply embedded in how the city moves, meets, and lives.

The inaugural Swimmable Cities European Forum, in partnership with the City of Basel, will build momentum towards the next Swimmable Cities Summit, scheduled for August 2027 in Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada.

"We are delighted to host the Swimmable Cities European Forum 2026 in Basel — a city where urban swimming is part of everyday life. Participants will experience Basel’s unique river culture firsthand by jumping into the Rhine and drifting through the city alongside locals!"

Christoph Bosshardt, Head of External Affairs and Marketing, Canton of Basel-Stadt

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PROGRAM (Version - June 26 - More updates still to come):

FIELD TRIP - DAY 3 - Bonus: Gleispool and Hygroskin Projects

For those who wish to extend their experience, we're pleased to support this bonus field trip.

Time: 10-11am, Aug 13

Meeting point: Haus der Elektronischen Künste (HEK)

Outline: This one-hour walk on Dreispitz, a major development area owned by the Christoph Merian Stiftung (CMS), offers a close-up look at two projects rethinking water, cooling and public space in the city. Starting from HEK (House of Electronic Arts), participants will visit the future Gleispool, a 170-metre natural swimming pool that has just entered construction and is scheduled to open in summer 2027. Matthias Sigrist (Project Manager Development at CMS) and Lukas Stadelmann (Architect MSc ETH/SIA, Malheur&Fortuna), will introduce the project on site. The tour then continues to Hygroskin at the Gleisbogen, where Jan Nemeth (Project Development, B/IAS) will present an existing sponge-city installation for cooling and greening sealed urban surfaces.

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Benefits for Participants

Attracting city leaders, water authorities, waterfront developers (housing, mixed-use & tourism), built environment professionals and other influential actors; the Forum will be an opportunity to network, share knowledge, discover best-practices, broker partnerships and access the latest tech innovations.

Tickets

Premium Pass €550

Includes access to the Mayors' Roundtable for Swimmable Cities with Sponsors, Municipalities & Water Authorities.

Forum Pass €295

General Admission - For example, Architects & Built Environment Professionals, Developers, Tourism Professionals, NGOs & Academia.

Cities Pass €175

For Municipalities & Water Authorities, includes access to the Mayors for Swimmable Cities Breakfast.

Hand Up Pass €75

Limited Availability - For Students, Community Organisations & others with limited resources.

* All participants are invited to join the Rhine Swim and Floss Festival.

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Planning Your Workcation:

Accommodation

Information on some of the options and availability in Basel can be found at: https://hotelmap.com/M2M9Y

Basel & Switzerland

More information on experiences and activities:

1. https://www.basel.com/en/activities-excursions/swimming-rhine

2. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/destinations/basel/

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Cancellations:

We understand that plans can change, so we aim to be as flexible as possible. Refunds will be available for cancellations made up to 1 month before the event. Unfortunately, cancellations made less than 1 month before the event will not be eligible for a refund.

Tickets are transferable up to one month before the event. If you need to transfer your ticket to someone else, please email us at hello@swimmablecities.org, and we’ll guide you through the process.

In the unlikely event that unforeseen circumstances—such as natural disasters, epidemics, or other events beyond our control—require the event to be adjusted, we will do our best to accommodate attendees. However, refunds may not be possible in these situations. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

ORGANISED BY:

Swimmable Cities (Hosted by Regeneration Projects, B Corp & Actor in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, & Incubated by Swim Drink Fish Canada)

City of Basel / Canton of Basel-Stadt (Municipal Signatory of the SC Charter)

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SUPPORTED BY:

We're excited to announce some of the partners who we'll be working with to bring the Forum come to life! If you're interested in join this Forum coalition of partners, contact our team: hello@swimmablecities.org

HOST CITY:

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HOST TOURISM DESTINATION:

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CORPORATE PARTNERS:

'BIG SPLASH'

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'SPLASH' CATEGORY

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MEDIA PARTNERS

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LOCAL & COMMUNITY PARTNERS

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MORE INFO: www.swimmablecities.org

CONTACT: hello@swimmablecities.org

Photo Credit: Rhine Swim, Wickelfisch, Tanja Ecker