Loony Dook

The annual Loony Dook held on the 1 January

The Loony Dook, is an annual event held on New Years' Day in which people dive into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry (north of Edinburgh, Scotland), often in fancy dress.[1]

The name "Loony Dook" is a combination of "Loony" (short for "lunatic") and "Dook", a Scots term meaning "dip" or "bathe".

Course of events

On New Year's Day, typically in the forenoon (but times vary according to tides),[2] around 1,000[3] Dookers first take part in the so-called Dookers' Fancy Dress Parade, leading from the Hawes car park at the far end of the town to the old mole.[4] Over 4,000 spectators[5] cheer on the participants at various vantage points.

The Dookers are then greeted by bagpipe pipers[6] and warmed with bowls of "energising porridge", prior to plunging themselves into the freezing Firth of Forth.[7]

History

The event was conceived in 1986 as a joking suggestion by three locals for a New Year's Day hangover cure.[8] The following year it was decided to repeat the event for charity.

After a few years of only local significance, the event gradually grew in the 1990s, both in popularity and number of participants. The growth accelerated after the event was started to be mentioned in the official Edinburgh Hogmanay publicity material and got a boost when the Millennium edition was broadcast live by the BBC.[9]

Originally organised by locals and starting from the Moorings pub (now the Inchcolm), factors such as increased crowds, safety issues and popularity necessitated a different handling. As a consequence, the events 2009 onwards were professionally handled by event managers Unique Events.[10] Being the organisers of the Edinburgh Hogmanay Festival, they included the Loony Dook into the latter from 2011.[11] In the same year a registration fee was introduced to cover the cost of organisation and stewarding. The fee of originally £6 was raised to £10 in 2016.[12] The proceeds of which benefit RNLI Queensferry and local charities.[13]

The Loony Dook received sponsorship from the tour company Haggis Adventures (from 2011)[14] and then from the porridge company Stoats.

Up to 2016, three of the original Dookers, James MacKenzie, Keith 'Rambo' Armstrong and Kenny Ross, have the distinction of taking part in every Loony Dook and the trio wore specially designed T-shirts with 30yrs to celebrate the achievement.[15]

Other Loony Dooks

The event has inspired similar, though smaller in scale, annual New Year Loony Dooks, such as in North Berwick in East Lothian and Kirkcaldy in Fife, both also on the Firth of Forth.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Stoats Loony Dook – brought to you by the Porridge Pioneers". EdinburghHogmanay.com. 1 January 2016. Archived from the original on 12 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Stoats Loony Dook". EdinburghGuide.com. 2017-07-19.
  3. ↑ "How the Loony Dook became a Scottish New Year tradition". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2016-12-28.
  4. ↑ "Stoats Loony Dook". EdinburghGuide.com. 2017-07-19.
  5. ↑ "Edinburgh Lord Provost in Loony Dook Challenge". Herald Scotland. 2014-12-27.
  6. ↑ "You'd be barking to splash out £6 on the Loony Dook!". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2010-10-27.
  7. ↑ "Loony Dook to turn 30". Edinburgh.gov.uk. 2015-09-10.
  8. ↑ "Loony Dookers take the icy plunge". BBC News. 2009-01-01.
  9. ↑ "How the Loony Dook became a Scottish New Year tradition". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2016-12-28.
  10. ↑ "How the Loony Dook became a Scottish New Year tradition". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2016-12-28.
  11. ↑ "How the Loony Dook became a Scottish New Year tradition". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2016-12-28.
  12. ↑ "Stoats Loony Dook". EdinburghGuide.com. 2017-07-19.
  13. ↑ "How the Loony Dook became a Scottish New Year tradition". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2016-12-28.
  14. ↑ "You'd be barking to splash out £6 on the Loony Dook!". Johnston Publishing Ltd. 2010-10-27.
  15. ↑ "Friends celebrate 30th time participating in South Queensferry Loony Dook". Linlithgow Gazette. 2016-01-05.
  16. ↑ "In pictures: Loony Dook 2011 – North Berwick". BBC News Scotland. 2011-01-02.
  17. ↑ "Langtoun Loonies – Kirkcaldy's fundraising for Breast Cancer, Scotland". www.justgiving.com. 2011-01-01.

Coordinates: 55°59′34″N 3°23′12″W / 55.99278°N 3.38667°W / 55.99278; -3.38667

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