Every year, people around the world take part in International Skinny Dip Day. This event, held on the second Saturday of July, encourages participants to embrace body positivity while raising money for a good cause. The American Association for Nude Recreation officially recognized the day in 2018.
Dipping for a Mission
Since it began in 2019, Skinny Dip Day has raised thousands of dollars for the Fistula Foundation. This charity helps fund surgeries for women in Africa and Asia who suffer from obstetric fistula and severe perineal tears.
Obstetric fistulas are a painful injury from childbirth. They can cause incontinence and often lead to women being isolated from their communities. The Fistula Foundation works with doctors in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. Each surgery costs about $624.
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Start Your News DetoxAfter the July 11 event in 2026, the skinny dippers collectively passed the $60,000 fundraising goal. This amount can provide about 96 women with the surgery they need to heal and live full lives. Organizers call their effort "dippin’ on a mission." They encourage people to "experience body positivity while raising money to cure women of horrific body shame."
Growing Movement
The event continues to grow each year. In 2025, there were 22 independent Skinny Dip Day events. In 2026, 29 events took place across the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, and Uganda.
Evan Nicks, a participant and writer for Planet Nude, shared details about this year's event. "This year, Skinny Dip Day as a whole raised over $18,000, blowing past its $15,000 goal, with 263 supporters across 32 teams," Nicks said. "That’s roughly 28 surgeries funded in a single season."
Nicks noted the unique nature of the tradition. "This is a strange little tradition, a bunch of naked people raising money to cure a disease most of the world has never heard of," he wrote. "It’s one of the things I’m proudest of."
Beyond Charity: Body Positivity
Many participants also report feeling liberated when skinny dipping. A 2021 study even suggested that communal nudity can help people appreciate their own bodies more.
Erika, a 2025 participant, shared her experience. "I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know if I would be comfortable," she said. "I felt welcomed immediately. Everyone was very casual and friendly. It made me feel a lot better about my own body, and it was cool to experience a new ‘subculture’ of our collective society and get fresh perspectives on what it means to be alive in this world."
