Firmenlauf Bonn 2027: 17 June in the Rheinaue
On 17 June 2027 Bonn runs through the Rheinaue for the 19th time: 5.7 kilometres with no timing, ranked by turnout, outfits and donations. What team captains need to know about deadlines, prices and the evening.
Daniel Gruber · 4 October 2026 · 7 min read
The 19th Firmenlauf Bonn (Bonn corporate run) takes place on Thursday, 17 June 2027, as always in the Rheinaue park (Source: fila-bonn.de, home page). The organiser, Bonn-based WEIS EVENTS GmbH, calls it "Bonn's biggest office party", and the motto says it all: "Run as you are", or in the local Kölsch dialect "Loof wie de bess" (Source: fila-bonn.de, home page). There is no timing. Here you win with turnout, costumes and donations, not personal bests. That makes it easy for beginners to join, and a planning task of its own for team captains.
There is no stopwatch
"The Firmenlauf Bonn is not a competition, so participants' times are not measured," the organiser writes (Source: fila-bonn.de, Infos zum Lauf). The start is self-seeded: if you want to be fast, stand at the front, everyone else behind. Nordic walkers are welcome but are asked to start without poles because of the risk of injury (Source: fila-bonn.de, Infos zum Lauf).
Instead, three kinds of teams make it onto the stage (Source: fila-bonn.de, Wertung):
- The Top Teams: what counts is not absolute size but share. The number of runners is set against the company's total headcount, in four classes: up to 50, 51 to 200, 201 to 500 and more than 500 employees.
- The most original running outfits: the most creative teams have to explain on stage what they were thinking.
- The most generous donors: teams that also donate to the charity partners are honoured too.
For your team the ratio means a small company can win just like a corporation. An office of 20 people with 12 taking part reaches 60 per cent, and nobody has to be fast for that. So the captain's real job isn't training but persuading. On request the organiser sends promotional material to motivate, as it puts it, "the laziest of the lazy colleagues" (Source: fila-bonn.de, home page).
The federal city runs along
Scroll through the 2026 team list on fila-bonn.de and you'll see how much this run belongs to Bonn. Alongside hospitals, agencies, schools and craft businesses, there are around 30 teams from federal authorities and ministries, many of them based in the former capital (our own count). Some examples with their 2026 team size (Source: fila-bonn.de, Wer läuft mit):
| Team | Participants 2026 |
|---|---|
| Universitätsklinikum Bonn (university hospital) | 653 |
| Bundesstadt Bonn (city of Bonn) | 361 |
| Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) | 219 |
| Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) | 216 |
| Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA) | 147 |
| Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) | 130 |
| Bundesnetzagentur Bonn (Federal Network Agency) | 113 |
| Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) | 32 |
In total the list shows just under 480 teams, around 30 of them from federal authorities (Source: fila-bonn.de, Wer läuft mit). Many teams give themselves a motto, from the Federal Cartel Office ("Für den Wettbewerb am Start", roughly "lined up for competition") to the Federal Court of Audit ("Mit uns müssen Sie rechnen", "you have to reckon with us"). A good motto is the easiest way to stand out for the outfit prize.
5.7 kilometres through the Rheinaue
The course runs through the Rheinaue, the former Federal Garden Show grounds. It is GPS-measured at 5.7 km, uses only traffic-free paths, is mostly paved and has 23 metres of elevation gain (Source: fila-bonn.de, Die Laufstrecke). Live bands play along the way and there are two refreshment stations (Source: fila-bonn.de, Die Laufstrecke). On the home page the organiser rounds it up to "6 km" (Source: fila-bonn.de, home page).
For beginners that means: just under six kilometres, almost flat, and if you walk part of it nobody notices, because there is no finishing time. If you want to see the course beforehand, there's a dedicated chance: the test run about three weeks before the event. In 2026 it was on 28 May at 6 pm, meeting at the "Die Rheinpiraten" adventure golf in the Rheinaue, free of charge, with drinks and a shoe test by Laufladen Bonn on the official course (Source: fila-bonn.de, Team-Service).
A team captain's year
Registration is online only, through a team captain. There is no minimum team size; a one-person business is as welcome as a corporation (Source: fila-bonn.de, Team-Service). The captain registers the team, receives a login and enters colleagues, lets them sign themselves up or uploads a bulk list (Source: fila-bonn.de, Team anmelden). The 2027 deadlines have not been published yet. But the 2026 calendar shows how the year runs (Sources: fila-bonn.de, Infos zum Lauf and Team-Service):
| 2026 | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2 January | Registration opens, €22 net per person until 31 March |
| 1 April | Price rises to €25 net |
| 1 May | Price rises to €28 net, valid until 7 June |
| 15 May | Deadline for team tents |
| 21 May | Team captains' meeting, 5 pm, Gustav-Stresemann-Institut |
| 28 May | Test run on the course |
| 29 May | Anyone registered by now gets a bib with their name |
| 7 June | Last day for online registration, FiLa-Flocken vouchers and shirt orders |
| 11 and 12 June | Race pack collection, 9 am to 7 pm at the Rheinpiraten |
| 18 June | Race day, late entry for €30 net from 3 pm |
Three points from the small print matter for planning. First: once the invoice has been issued, nobody can be withdrawn, but names can be changed at any time (Source: fila-bonn.de, Startgebühren). Second: the first 2,500 registrants get the official FiLa technical shirt for free (Source: fila-bonn.de, Team-Service), so registering early saves twice. Third: according to the organiser the race packs weigh about 0.3 kg per person. For 50 people that's 15 kg, so plan on a car. Uncollected packs are donated, and on race day only bib numbers are handed out, between 4 and 5:30 pm (Source: fila-bonn.de, Startunterlagen).
Food comes with a Bonn quirk: the FiLa-Flocke, a voucher worth €1.50 that the captain orders in advance and that comes with a hospitality invoice. Cash is accepted on site too, and in 2026 card payment was also possible (Source: fila-bonn.de, Speis und Trank). Your own tents, grills and electrical appliances are not allowed on the site (Source: fila-bonn.de, Speis und Trank).
The evening in the Rheinaue
The 2026 schedule for orientation (Source: fila-bonn.de, So läuft's ab):
- 4 pm: supporting programme begins, beer garden and grills open
- 5:45 pm: warm-up in front of the stage in the start area
- 6 pm: start
- 7:45 pm: awards for Top Teams, outfits and donors, then a DJ until 10 pm
- 11 pm: end of the event
Since 2007 the organiser has donated one euro per participant to CARE Deutschland and the cystic fibrosis charity Mukoviszidose e.V. (Source: fila-bonn.de, Charity). You can download certificates right after the run, and the photographers on the course took more than 4,000 photos the previous year (Source: fila-bonn.de, Urkunden & Fotos).
Getting there without hunting for parking
The organiser is honest on this point: finding a parking space is "one of the greatest adventures" (Source: fila-bonn.de, Anfahrt & Parken). Public transport works better: bus 610 or 611 to "Rheinaue Haupteingang" or tram 66 to "Rheinaue", each about a ten-minute walk away. By bike, use the bike park next to the cloakroom. If you do come by car, share the ride and head for Ludwig-Erhard-Allee at the corner of Heinemannstraße (Source: fila-bonn.de, Anfahrt & Parken).
Keep running after the corporate run
For many people the Firmenlauf is their first event with a bib. If you enjoyed it, the easiest next step is a regular group: you'll find Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs with weekly meet-ups under Running in Bonn. More races in the city are listed under running events in Bonn. If you want a bigger goal, look at the Deutsche Post Marathon Bonn. And for comparison: the Firmenlauf Köln at Fühlinger See has timed runners since 2026 and ranks the fastest trios, the exact opposite of the Bonn concept.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Firmenlauf Bonn 2027?
- The 19th Firmenlauf Bonn takes place on Thursday, 17 June 2027, in Bonn's Rheinaue park. In 2026 the start was at 6 pm; times for 2027 have not been published yet.
- How long is the Firmenlauf Bonn course?
- The course is GPS-measured at 5.7 km and runs on traffic-free, mostly paved paths through the Rheinaue. It has 23 metres of elevation gain and two refreshment stations.
- Is the Firmenlauf Bonn timed?
- No. According to the organiser it is not a competition. Awards go to the teams with the highest participation rate in four size classes, the most original outfits and the most generous donors.
- How much does the Firmenlauf Bonn cost?
- In 2026 entry cost €22 (until 31 March), €25 (April) or €28 net (until 7 June), depending on the registration date. Late entries on race day cost €30 net. Prices for 2027 have not been published yet.
- Is there a minimum team size?
- No. According to the organiser there is no minimum number of participants, and sole traders can register a team too. Registration is online through a team captain.
- How do I get to the Firmenlauf Bonn?
- Best by bus 610 or 611 to Rheinaue Haupteingang or tram 66 to Rheinaue, each about a ten-minute walk. There is a bike park next to the cloakroom. If you drive, the organiser recommends car sharing.