Polar Bear Plunge, 5K canceled

For the second time in a little over a month, weather-related issues have forced the cancelation of the Special Olympics Delaware Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K. There is no makeup date planned for the plunge or 5K, but events scheduled for Saturday are still taking place.

“Out of an abundance of caution and keeping the safety of our faithful bears and their supporters at the forefront of all decision-making, we regret to inform you that the City of Rehoboth Beach has canceled the 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge,” said a Feb. 26 statement from Special Olympics Delaware. “We are as disappointed as you, but your safety is paramount, and we look forward to coming together to plunge in 2027. We thank you in advance for your understanding.”

The plunge’s weekend of fun was originally scheduled to take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. It was postponed because 2026's first snow storm brought extreme cold, high winds and dangerous surf conditions.

This time around, it appeared the weather was going to cooperate – the National Weather Service is calling for partial sun, with temperatures in the mid-40s – but the city simply hasn’t had time to clean up from last weekend’s blizzard. Downed trees and limbs caused widespread power outages, and city staff have focused on clearing tree debris so power could be restored.

“Unfortunately, we cannot justify putting people’s safety at risk, nor can we shift our resources to focus on the event,” said Rehoboth Beach Police Chief Keith Banks, in a statement issued by the city Feb. 26. “Public works and public safety crews in the city and the surrounding areas have been working around the clock this week, so preparing and staffing the event isn’t feasible this weekend. This timing is unfortunate for all of us, as the Polar Bear Plunge is a wonderful event that we enjoy participating in every year, but we need to put safety first and utilize our resources properly.”

The city said it took a number of issues into consideration before the cancelation – there are still portions of sidewalks in town and the Boardwalk have not been cleared; public safety resources would be hindered by lack of parking spaces and staging areas; streets crews are busy assisting our residents, some of whom have lost power, have limited street access, and have branches and trees down in their yards; crews are also assisting the cleanup of Rehoboth Avenue and surrounding roads to allow for more parking and accessibility to local businesses.

City Manager Taylour Tedder said the storm presented extreme circumstances for the recommendation.

“The Polar Bear Plunge is an event we all look forward to in the City of Rehoboth Beach, so this decision did not come lightly,” said Tedder. “We are proud of the hard work our city employees have done during this storm recovery, including trying their best to make way for the event to happen, but we have simply run out of time, as a decision had to be made.”

Plunge packets will still be available 4 to 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. There are still a number of events taking place Saturday, Feb. 28: noon to 2 p.m., is Fire & Ice at the Atlantic Sands Ballroom; 2:30 to 5 p.m., is a restaurant chili contest; 4 to 7 p.m., plunge packets area available again at the convention center.

Celebrating its 35th year, the plunge began in 1992 with 78 participants raising $7,000. In 2025, about 4,415 Bears raised more than $1.2 million through in-person and virtual plunges.

To date, the event has generated more than $18.4 million to support Special Olympics Delaware's mission, which includes sports training, competition, health initiatives, education and leadership programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

For more information, go to plungede.org.