Started in 2004, the Manchester Male Naked Swim is now the UK’s last remaining male only naturist swim event.
Initially organised by gay men for gay men, positive word of mouth soon spread, and due to popularity the swim began to welcome men of any sexuality with no questions asked.
The original venue was the Victorian swimming baths on Barlow Road. However, in 2010, Manchester City Council revealed plans to close the building, due to rising maintenance costs in the face of financial cutbacks.
Members of the swim were involved in the consultation process and campaigned for the Barlow Road baths to stay open until its replacement was completed.
The swim moved into Arcadia, the brand new replacement facility on the nearby A6, in March 2016, when the Barlow Road baths finally closed down.
British Naturism began listing the swim in 2018.
Although the swims were cancelled in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, we returned in September 2021 with a better attendance than ever before.