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Introducing the BIG JUMPARTY !

Since the closure of FLOW, there are no more outdoor swimming spots in the city — while the canal, full of potential, remains off-limits. People already swim there out of necessity. We believe it’s time to make the canal safe and accessible for everyone.

Join us on Sunday 13 July for a surreal, splashy, rule-bending water party to imagine — and demand — a swimmable Brussels. Let’s make waves together!

Find our more about the BIG JUMPARTY and the WATERSIDE VOICES project below ▼ …

Brussels needs another BIG JUMP …

Since FLOW closed, Brussels has been left without a single outdoor swimming spot. Major swimming infrastructure projects remain stuck in planning, with no realisation in sight. And yet: water is present — the canal runs through Brussels from south to north and could become a safe, refreshing place to swim.

Already today, people swim in the canal, simply because there are no alternatives. We believe parts of the canal could be transformed into safe and inviting swimming areas — with smart infrastructure, modern technology and clear communication. Cities across Europe and the world have done just that, showing that urban swimming is both possible and valuable.

Access to water for recreation and refreshment is a growing international movement. Brussels can and should learn from these experiences. To introduce the idea of the canal as a swimmable space — and to open up a broader discussion on its risks and potential — we were planning another BIG JUMP in 2025. For over 20 years, the BIG JUMP has been a pan-European day of action raising awareness around water quality and accessibility. Hosting it in the heart of Europe makes perfect sense to us!

… but the Port Says “NO SWIMMING!”

This isn’t our first BIG JUMP. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, we organised it as acts of civil disobedience — without official permission. After the 2018 edition, POOL IS COOL received a hefty fine from the Port of Brussels, which oversees the canal.

This time, we tried a different approach. We reached out to the Port to become partners in organising the BIG JUMP — seeing it as a valuable opportunity to raise awareness about the real risks of canal swimming, and the steps needed to make it safer in the future.

But the answer from their board of directors was firm: Not with us.

For them, swimming in the canal is simply not an option — despite the fact that it already happens in several places.

To support their stance, the Port shared a risk analysis about swimming in the canal. A useful document, worth responding to: if the identified concerns can be addressed, what’s left to justify a total swimming ban?

▶︎ So, let’s collect the answers! That’s what we will do in the coming days.

Embracing Surrealism to make a point …

Let’s jump without jumping.
Let’s enjoy the water without getting wet (unless you feel like it).
Let’s have a water party without breaking the rules — this time!

We can’t officially invite you to swim without risking another fine. So we won’t. In fact, we must actively discourage it — even if all conditions seem perfectly safe. But as far as we know, the swimming ban only applies to real people…

… we invite you to a BIG JUMPARTY instead!

We’ve teamed up with a brilliant group of local and international initiatives to host the best canal party imaginable — or, let’s say, the most joyful RIGHT TO SWIM demonstration you can imagine!

Because imagining is what we do best:
Imagining a better future.
Imagining how to make it real.
Imagining the most surreal, fun, and festive way to raise awareness and demand change:

TOGETHER FOR A SWIMMABLE BRUSSELS!

We’ll gather at FLOW, then parade south along the canal to our favourite BIG JUMP location for moments to raise our voices together, make a symbolic JUMP, and celebrate water in all its urban potential.

Thanks to our partners, you’ll get the chance to:
☀︎ experience the canal from the water (in a legal way 😉) with City to Ocean
☀︎ enjoy a spontaneous water playground with dallas and Alive
☀︎ learn about swimming projects in Brussels and beyond with POOL IS COOL
☀︎ or simply just have a good pancake and drink by the water with Cultureghem

Are you ready for a BIG JUMPARTY?

The more we are, the louder our message!
Join us in numbers on Sunday, 13 July at 13:00 at FLOW.
Bring about 3 hours of your time, and maybe a swimsuit — not required, but appreciated.

Splish splash — see you there!

WATERSIDE VOICES

We are happy that BIG JUMPARTY is a local initiative of the European WATERSIDE VOICES project!

Many European cities and towns are shaped by rivers or canals, yet climate change and urban pressures strain these waterscapes. They are detached from both citizens and nature, worsening ecological challenges or succumbing to gentrification. While strategies exist, the potential of rivers and canals to foster resilience, social cohesion and sustainable urban living remains underused.

Waterside Voices aims to reclaim urban rivers and canals for, by and with the communities living by their shores. Communities whose visions and involvement are crucial for needs-based action. Through participatory research and design in Brussels, Rijeka and Budapest, three resilient interventions will turn the Danube, Rječina, and the Brussels–Charleroi Canal into vibrant hubs – incubating green and blue skills and shaping long-term plans. On a transnational scale, a shared and adaptable digital platform that documents urban waterscape renewal across Europe will be developed, alongside workshops and discursive formats.

▶︎ Find our more about WATERSIDE VOICES on www.watersidevoices.eu

BIG JUMPARTY is a collaboration of POOL IS COOL with @alivearchitecture @cultureghem @collectifdallas @city_to_ocean (but unfortunately not with the Port of Brussels) in the framework of Waterside Voices, a project by Alive Architecture with @urbanisepare @valyovalyo and @mome_budapest

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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