This weekend, a very fun event is happening right before the Santa Claus Parade in Collingwood. The HoHo Holiday 5K is five-kilometer run through the streets of Collingwood, with some fun activities thrown in.
Starting at the parking lot at 2nd and Pine Streets, meet with over 1000 of your neighbours dressed in Santa suits (which include pants, belt, jacket, hat and even a big, white beard!) to take part in the run. Registration starts at 8am and the race starts at 10am. After you pre-register online, you’ll come down and register downtown and get your free Santa suit to run in! You thought you had to bring your own, didn’t you?
Not only that, you’ll get:
- a limited edition bracelet
- 365 sports string bag
- free photos fro downloading
- race bib
- finishers medal
Any age can participate and kids four and under are free. Children do need a guardian with them if they under 13.
Once the race is over and you’ve patted yourself on the back for a job well done, head over to the festival area for more fun! Here you can check out the Christmas tree toss, hay bale road hockey, Christmas light tug of war, vendor alley, beer tent and Santa’s village. The beer garden will open at 11am until 4pm. After that, you’ll want to get your seat and get ready for the Collingwood Christmas Parade.
Not only is the HoHo Holiday 5km fun, it is for a great local cause. All net proceeds from the event go straight to Collingwood’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge for their You’re the Chef program. This program takes action to promote the health of local kids through healthy eating and physical activity. The You’re the Chef is an after-school program for kids in grades 4 to 6 that teaches kids and parents how to prepare healthy snacks. The program runs at various Collingwood public schools.
Even if you aren’t interested in doing the run, be sure to go down and cheer on the racers, visit with the Claus family and engage in all the family fun. While you’re there, be sure to visit some of the amazing businesses downtown for a bite to eat or to pick up a unique Christmas gift.