In Lyon, a 400-meter “drift swim” is offered this Sunday in the Rhône

More than 300 people will be experimenting with "drifting in the Rhône" . The ecologist municipality is offering Lyon residents the chance to take a dip this Sunday, June 29, in the river at the Parc des Berges de Gerland. This proposal is part of the festival between the Rhône and the Saône, created by the majority in 2022, and is welcome given the scorching temperatures in the city.

Participants, registered in advance, "will swim 400 meters down the Rhône, accompanied by the current and equipped with a buoy," says the city of Lyon. All "under the careful supervision of water safety professionals." "Organized in a safe and friendly setting, this initiative aims to allow the general public to rediscover the river that crosses Lyon in a different way, by promoting respectful, sporting and recreational use of its waterways," boasts the municipality.

This is a make-up session for last year's aborted swim. Amidst collective anxiety over the Seine's swimmability just days before the Olympics, the city of Lyon had tried to get ahead of the capital by offering this swim in the river. The experiment was canceled at the last minute due to water quality being severely degraded by storms, even though tests from the previous days had been good.

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This year, the dip is expected to go ahead, with no storms in sight. Mayor Grégory Doucet, however, will not be taking the plunge, nor will his deputies. The event is already sold out. Those who don't have a spot will have to find another place to cool off, as swimming in the Rhône and Saône rivers in Lyon is strictly prohibited and very dangerous. Numerous drownings are recorded each year.