Newbury Rotary's Santa Fun Run is Sunday 22 November: 1km or 5km from Market Place at 11am, adults £15 with a free Santa suit. Check-in, routes, road closures.
Newbury’s Santa Fun Run is on Sunday 22 November 2026. Runners in red suits, hundreds of them according to Newbury BID, set off from Market Place at 11am on a 1km or a 5km loop, and the entry fee includes a Santa suit. It is run by the Rotary Club of Newbury, sponsored by Iconiq Fitness, and the money goes to local and Rotary charities.
Everything below comes from the Rotary’s own registration page on RaceNation, read on 19 October 2026, and Newbury BID’s Visit Newbury listing.
The quick answer
- When: Sunday 22 November 2026. Check-in 9.30am to 10.30am, run starts 11am, event ends about 12.30pm.
- Where: starts and finishes in Market Place, Newbury. Check-in is at the Waterside Centre.
- Distances: 1km or 5km, approximate. Not timed, not a race; walking is fine.
- Entry: adults £15, ages 8 to 17 and students £10, ages 5 to 7 £7, under-5s free with a registered adult. A Santa suit and a finisher’s medal are included.
- Entries close: 12 noon on Saturday 21 November, or sooner if it fills. Online only.
- Watching is free. Road closures in the town centre start at 10am.
Entry prices and who can run
| Ticket | Who | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | 18 and over | £15 |
| Under 18s and students | Ages 8 to 17, or students up to 22 | £10 |
| Under 8s | Ages 5 to 7, 1km route only | £7 |
| Under 5s | With a registered adult | Free, no suit |
Ages count as at the day of the run. Children aged 5 to 12 must run with a responsible adult the whole way. Teenagers of 13 to 17 can run on their own, but if no parent or guardian is with them they need a permission slip signed by one, handed in when they collect their number. Under-8s can only do the 1km.
Registration and payment are only through the RaceNation page; the Rotary says no other outlet or website can take entries. If the run is cancelled for any reason, entry fees are not refunded and are treated as donations. Runners are also invited to raise sponsorship for a charity of their own choice.
Timings on the day
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9.30am | Check-in opens at the Waterside Centre: collect your number and vest label, and your Santa suit if you have not already |
| 10am | Town centre road closures begin; Market Place opens for runners and supporters |
| 10.30am | Check-in closes; head to Market Place for the safety briefing |
| 10.45am | Best-dressed Santa pet judging, Market Place |
| 10.50am | Safety briefing, then a warm-up led by Iconiq Fitness |
| 11am | Run starts |
| 12.30pm | Event ends |
The Waterside Centre is reached from Northbrook Street through the alleyway next to Boots, or from Parkway down the side of Camp Hopson.
Getting your Santa suit early
Suits come in various sizes, and registered runners can already collect one (the Rotary says from 17 October) at Scott Waters Opticians, 98 Northbrook Street, RG14 1AA. Bring proof of registration, a copy of your registration form. Otherwise pick one up at the Waterside Centre on the morning. If you already own a Santa suit, the Rotary asks you to wear that instead, to cut waste. There are no suits for under-5s.
The routes
Both routes start in Market Place, go along Northbrook Street, into Parkway and through Victoria Park, then back to Market Place, where the 1km finishes.
The 5km runners carry on: back up Northbrook Street and down the side alley to Northcroft Lane, across Northcroft, along Moor Lane towards Speen, then Church Lane, Speen Lane, Old Bath Road and Strawberry Hill, returning down Northbrook Street to finish in Market Place. The Rotary links route maps for both from its RaceNation page.
Two cautions from the organisers. Parts of the course run through the pedestrian zone, but runners cross roads and driveways, and Speen Lane has no footway: marshals help at key points, but you run on live roads at your own risk and must follow the Highway Code. And the route goes through public shopping streets, so shoppers have priority.
Road closures, parking and watching
The Rotary says “local road closures will be in place from 10am” in the town centre. It does not list the streets, and no West Berkshire Council notice has been published yet. If one appears it will be on our Newbury roadworks and travel page.
Market Place is in the pedestrian zone, so drive to a car park rather than the centre. Town centre car parks and their charges are on parking in Newbury. Supporters do not need a ticket. The best spots are Market Place for the start, the pet judging at 10.45am and the finish, and Northbrook Street, which runners pass more than once.
The rest of the Christmas season
The run is eight days after the Christmas lights switch-on on Saturday 14 November. Markets and fairs are on Newbury Christmas markets, grottos on Santa’s grottos near Newbury, and everything else this month on What’s on in Newbury.
Questions about the run go to the Rotary at santafunrun@newburyrotary.org. Local traders who want a stall at the event should email farley@newburybid.com, Newbury BID says.
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