From Aberdare to York, and everywhere in between, there are Christmas Day and New Year's Day additional parkruns open to all registered parkrunners, parkwalkers and volunteers.

Since 25th December 2004, Bushy parkrun has held an event on Christmas Day, and following this tradition, each country can nominate one ‘Special Day’ per year on which they can stage their events. The designated 'special parkrun day' in the United Kingdom is Christmas Day.

Each year, there are two days when event teams may choose to hold a parkrun on a day other than the traditional Saturday. One is New Year’s Day (January 1st) in all countries; the other is the ‘Special Day’, which can vary from country to country.

With Christmas Day and New Year's Day both falling on a Thursday this year, it could be possible for a dedicated parkrun enthusiast to run four 5K events within 10 days – or to volunteer to facilitate the safe and enjoyable delivery of the free, timed runs so others can participate.

There are hundreds of parkruns open during the festive season. What could be more special than participating in one of parkrun's special days? With all the Santa Runs done, why not give that Santa suit, or other festive fancy dress, a final outing before it is put away for another year?

To find out if your local parkrun is on, visit the parkrun Christmas Compendium here. It's always best to double-check your chosen venue by visiting the event's website and social media pages.

Whether you are in Scotland, the North, the Midlands, or the South, there is bound to be parkrun operating nearby, thanks to the dedication of the core team of volunteers, and the tradition started by Bushy parkrun over 20 years ago!

Enjoy your festive parkrun/s and don't forget to check the results and other interesting facts and figures on the newly acquired 5K parkrunner results app, as featured here in runABC news...

Photo of York parkrun January 2023 courtesy of parkrun marketing