Water Safety Festival

Join us April 27th 2025 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Jean K Freeman Aquatic Center to learn more about water safety through a day of FREE swim clinics, lessons, performances, activities, and games! Sign-up required for some activities. All ages welcome, children ages 12 and under must be accompanied by a guardian.

Aquatic rules + policies
Questions? Contact Bryna McElligott: [email protected]

Registration Form

Schedule

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Events and Performances

Day of Schedule

Diving Well

10am-11am: Intro to Diving; Hosted by Minnesota Diving Academy*
11am-12:30pm: Open Dive
12:30pm-1:30pm: Log Rolling Clinic; Hosted by Ella Welsh*

Comp Pool

10am-2pm: Open Swim
11am-12pm: Search and Rescue Dive Demo and Water Safety Talk; Hosted by Hennepin County Sheriff's Office
12pm-1pm: Tri Clinic; Hosted by Gopher Swim School*
1pm-2pm: What does it Take to be a Lifeguard?; Hosted by UMN Lifeguards

Scoreboard Pool

10am-11am: Open Paddleboarding
11am-12pm: Intro to Underwater Hockey: Hosted by Minnesota Loons
12pm-12:45pm: Open Paddleboarding
1pm-1:45pm: Yoga Paddle Boarding; Hosted by Hope Lockett*

Pool Deck

12pm: Water Safety Obstacle Course; Hosted by Miss Glacial Waters Emma Vrieze
10am-2pm: Water Safety Coloring Contest; Hosted by SwimPossible
10am-2pm: Partner Booths

*Prior Sign-Up Required; Visit Aquatics Lobby to Sign Up!

Activities

Open Swim
Open Diving
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Safety Talk and Dive Team Demo
Water Safety Obstacle Course
What's it Take to be a Lifeguard? Practice Skills with Lifeguarding Instructors
Yoga Paddle Boarding
Log Rolling Clinic
Underwater Hockey Clinic

Some activities require additional sign-up, which will be available the day of the event on a first come, first served basis.

Need to Know

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Parking + Facility Access

The closest ramps to the Jean K. Freeman are the University Ave Ramp and the Washington Ave Ramp. Standard rates will apply for all campus ramps; however, there is free street parking available on University Ave. For more information about parking and potential parking rates for your event, please visit UMN Parking and Transportation.

There are two entrances into the Aquatic Center for events.

South Side Aquatic Center Entrance not the RecWell Entrance. (closest to Washington Ave. Parking Ramp)

North Side (closest to University Ave. Parking Ramp)

The Aquatic Center main entrance and lobby are open during events/rentals only.

What to Bring

Please be sure to bring a swimsuit and towel for you and your child. Per RecWell’s policies, children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a guardian in the water within arms’ reach at all times. Children 12-16 years of age must be within their guardian’s sight at all times.

This applies during any open swim or dive throughout the day. If your child is registered to take lessons, you will not need to be in the water with them during that time.

Feel free to bring a US Coast Guard approved flotation device for you or your child as well. There will be open swim times in all of the pools for adults and children to enjoy!