Peterborough Lido Dusk till Dawn: fireworks, ferris wheels and the beauty of the night
The stage is set. Photo by Lucy Warren
To round off our swim season, we ventured to Peterborough Lido for the very first time to bring the legendary Dusk till Dawn relay to people in this neck of the woods. While many of our summer relays balance long daylight hours with midnight laps, Peterborough offered something entirely unique: a pure, 12-hour overnight immersion where the entire event took place between sunset and sunrise.
Neon Lights, Funfairs, and Golden Hour Setups
Arriving in the bright Saturday afternoon sunshine, the lido was peaceful and still, waiting to be brought to life. We wasted no time dressing every railing and poolside lane in our signature pink and yellow bunting! Swimmers were so eager to dive into the season finale that early arrivals began pitching up well ahead of registration opening time.
As dusk settled, the venue revealed a brilliant and completely unexpected backdrop. The embankment right behind the pool was hosting a massive weekend funfair, treating our swimmers to a skyline dominated by a glowing Ferris wheel, spinning fairground rides, and an impromptu soundtrack of distant laughter and screams. To top it off, as evening fell, brilliant fireworks displays burst over the trees and illuminated the water, giving every swimmer in the pool their very own front-row light show.
Go time! Photo by Lucy Warren
The Vibes
Down on the lido deck, the atmosphere was relaxed, friendly, and community led. An acoustic guitarist played poolside sets covering beloved golden oldies and unapologetically joyful cheese, keeping spirits singing while the lido café dished out hot burgers and chips late into the night. Supporters gathered in camping chairs along the water’s edge and up on the balcony overlooking the pool, wrapping up in warm layers to cheer every single changeover.
Midnight Steam and the Human Buoy
As the early hours arrived, the temperature plunged from an afternoon high of 20°C down to a brisk 6°C. Clouds of dramatic steam rose into the misty night air from the heated pool water, creating a surreal, cinematic atmosphere for everyone churning out laps. Some swimmers set up camp inside the lido’s parameter, while others took quick catnaps between their stints.
Around midnight, one of the course turn buoys began losing air. Without missing a beat, Level Water’s Ben dove into the pool, wielding a two-foot glowing light stick to act as a living human buoy so swimmers could navigate the turn smoothly in the dark!
Sometimes some floating on your back is all you need! Photo by Lucy Warren
Dawn Light, Inflatables, and the Doggy Takeover
As 7:00 AM approached, morning light finally broke over Peterborough, signaling the final push. The water came alive with celebration: an inflatable swan took to the surface, and an entire water polo team plunged into the center of the pool to pass a water polo ball between teammates as they celebrated the finish. A special nod goes to our heroic two-person duo who swam the entire 12-hour night between them, with the male swimmer emerging from his final lap to jokingly declare he was officially retiring from swimming forever!
Longtime Level Water champion and channel swimmer Sophie Etheridge was on hand throughout the morning, lending a generous hand alongside fellow swimmers to tidy up the lane equipment and cheer everyone across the finish line.
The packdown was swift and smooth, wrapping up just in time for the lido’s next event of the day: the annual end-of-season dog swim! As our team packed up the event vans, 470 excited dogs began arriving with their owners, providing the most joyful possible audience to wave Level Water off!
The Impact
Our first outing at Peterborough Lido was a night of pure fun and warm community spirit from start to finish. The fundraising total so far is £19,800+, which will directly fund over 1300 lessons for disabled children to learn to swim.
A massive thank you to the staff at Peterborough Lido, our fantastic volunteers, the event crew, and every single swimmer who took on the 12 hours in the dark to close out our season in style.
