Budapest’s city center will be awash in red on Sunday, December 7, as more than 4,500 costumed runners flood the streets for the 10th anniversary of PENNY’s Santa Run. The red crowd rolling along the banks of the Danube in guaranteed snowfall is one of the favorite sights of Budapest residents and tourists alike every year.
The Budapest Sports Office is organizing the cheerful community run for the tenth time this year, and the number of registrations has reached an unprecedented level: every distance is sold out, therefore on Sunday, 4,500 runners dressed in red and white beards will start from Sóház Street in artificial snowfall and then return to the same place.
The runners come from more than 460 towns and villages across the country, but there is also significant international interest: 320 foreign Santa Clauses from 50 countries will be lacing up their running shoes.
The vast majority are members of foreign communities living, studying, or working in Hungary, who are also getting involved in the life of the city through this event. The most active participants this year are the Japanese (50 people) and Koreans (45 people).
The event is also a real inter-generational gathering: more than a quarter of the participants are under 18, and 15 percent of the field is children under 10.
The 10th PENNY Santa Run is not only about exercise and spectacle, but also about giving. The organizers are asking participants to bring a gift for children in need.
Costumes, including clothes, hats, and beards, will be provided by the organizers for all participants. The races start at 11 a.m.
Running tourism has become one of the most dynamically developing engines of tourism in the Hungarian capital, generating billions in revenue. The three major events organized by Budapest Sports Office (BSI) – Telekom Vivicittá, Wizz Air Budapest Half Marathon, and the SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival – broke all previous records, attracting more than 50,000 foreign “quality tourists” along with runners and their companions, who are estimated to have spent more than 100,000 guest nights and nearly HUF 4 billion (EUR 10.5 million) in direct spending in Budapest.
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Via turizmus.hu; Featured image: Facebook/Mikulásfutás
The post Santa Clauses Flood the Streets of Budapest This Weekend appeared first on Hungary Today.
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