Festival of Lights 5K
Always double-check with the organizer's website! This page may contain affiliate links.
Festival of Lights 5K - event overview
The 31st Annual Festival of Lights 5K is a nighttime winter fundraising event in San Marco that benefits Children’s Miracle Network of Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Proceeds support UF Health Jacksonville pediatrics and Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
The event includes two distances:
- 1 Mile one-mile fun run for families and individuals
- 5K run/walk/stroll with chip timing for the 5K
The course is lit with festive lights and the streets of San Marco are used for the route. The race provides finisher medals to all finishers, a race shirt for participants, jingle bells for shoes, holiday music, a water station at the halfway point, marked miles, and digital clocks at each mile. Awards are presented to top overall finishers and in multiple age groups.
The 5K and One Mile start on Atlantic Blvd in front of Southside Baptist Church and finish on San Marco Blvd in front of 1st Place Sports. Packet pickup is available at selected 1st Place Sports locations on December 3 and December 4; unclaimed packets will be moved to San Marco Square for pickup on race day.
Offsite parking and shuttle service are provided from the Baptist Medical Center P5 parking garage at 1104 Nira Street; parking is limited to the first floor of the garage and is at participants’ own risk. There is no parking in the East San Marco Publix shopping center lots; cars parked there for the event may be towed.
After the race the San Marco Merchants Association presents Holiday Magic with miniature train rides, bounce and slide games, mini touring cars, a stilt walker, holiday characters, snow machines, free hot chocolate, holiday music and pictures with Santa at the Gazebo. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
