Swimmable Cities Summit 2025 - Rotterdam

LET’S CREATE A NEW WAVE OF URBAN REGENERATION!

You’re invited to be part of the movement, and a rare opportunity to connect with some of the world’s leading experts, actors, activists and decision-makers at the forefront of urban swimming.

Swimmable Cities is proud to be teaming up with the City of Rotterdam to host our inaugural Summit, June 22-24 2025, as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.

Set in the Rijnhaven, across three days you’ll witness their urban waterway transformation first hand, while connecting to the latest trends, insights and breakthrough innovations from cities around the world. Our collective mission is to raise awareness about the potential for urban swimming to regenerate waterways, improve liveability and grow climate resilience!

PARTICIPANTS: 

From grassroots to global, we’ll be welcoming 100 changemakers and thought leaders from diverse backgrounds – Community Organisers, Architects, Landscape Architects Urban Planners, Investors, Entrepreneurs, Environmental Managers, Youth Leaders, Policy-makers, Developers, Engineers, Scientists, Researchers, Sports enthusiasts & more.

We'll be inviting representatives from Charter Signatory Municipalities - City of Rotterdam, City of Yarra (Melbourne), Alsergrund District (Vienna), City of Annapolis (US), as well as emerging municipal Signatories from Eastern Europe and North America. We'll also warmly invite colleagues from the City of Paris, Greater London, City of Helsinki, City of Amsterdam and many more, including in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

DAY 2 WORKSHOP INNOVATION STREAMS:
1. The Right to Swim - Advocacy, Policy Reform & the Role of Governance (includes shipping, tourism & other water uses)
2. The Art of Swimming Places - Design, Make, Run (@ Wikkelboat)
3. Clean Up Our Act - Waterway Restoration, Health & Biodiversity (Outdoor Walking Workshop)
4. An Urban Swimmers’ Life - Community, Climate & Liveability
5. Public-Private Partnerships - Regenerative Enterprise & Economic Opportunities
6. Water Literacy - Youth & Intergenerational Equity (Outdoor Walking Workshop)
7. Water Diplomacy - International Cooperation & Nature Finance

PROGRAM (FRESH Version - Apr 23 2025; PDF available - HERE):

VENUE: LantarenVenster, Rijnhaven, Rotterdam

Tickets (more details at Registration - EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS EXTENDED 1 WEEK - FRIDAY, MARCH 28!!):

General (non-Signatory) - 225 Euro 

Municipal (non-Signatory) - 250 Euro 

Signatory Organisation - 200 Euro 

Municipal Signatory - 225 Euro

Hand Up - 100 Euro 

Sponsor a Participant - Flexible 

We’re committed to making this event as inclusive and accessible as we possibly can. If you’re unsure of which category best suits your position or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact our team: hello@swimmablecities.org

Inclusions:

- Day 1: Canapés, Arrival Drink (& Cinema entry tbc)

- Day 2: Whole-day Access, SC Goodie Bags plus Early Morning Coffee, Morning Tea, Lunch, Afternoon Tea & Gala Dinner

- Day 3: Guided Activity

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 (Convened by Regeneration Projects, B Corp & Actor in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration)

City of Rotterdam (One of the founding municipal Signatories of the SC Charter)

SUPPORTED BY:

We're super excited to announce our first wave of partners who we'll be working with to help the Summit come to life! Update COMING SOON!

We're actively exploring Wave 2 partners, including knowledge partners like universities. 

So, please do reach out if you're interested: hello@swimmablecities.org

OUTCOMES:

1. We'll be launching a NEW Cities Program for 'Flagship' and 'Next Gen' cities. 

2. We'll be creating the conditions for exciting new partnerships and collaborations between Actors.

3. We're planning to publish a SC Summit 2025 - Summary Report / Toolkit.

SUMMIT PRE-PROGRAM

March 19 - Session 1 (online, linked to World Water Day, Round 4 Signatory announcement) - COMPLETE

April 23 - Session 2 (online) - HERE

May 21 - Session 3 (online, linked to International Biodiversity Day) - HERE

May 28 - Session 4 (online, Knowledge Roundtable) - HERE

June 22-24 - Swimmable Cities Summit, Rotterdam

* Note: an additional workshop series will run for municipalities and government organisation as part of our new Cities Program for ‘Flagship’ and ‘Next Gen’ cities. More info: hello@swimmablecities.org

MORE INFO: www.swimmablecities.org

CONTACT: hello@swimmablecities.org