New Year's runs 2027 in Cologne, Ratingen and nearby

From New Year's morning in Porz to the double Sunday on 10 January in Cologne and Ratingen: here are all New Year's events in the Rhineland with a confirmed 2027 date, with format, start times and costs.

Chris Mühlnickel · 4 October 2026 · 7 min read

New Year's runs 2027 in Cologne, Ratingen and nearby

New Year's Day 2027 is a Friday, so the running year in the Rhineland starts with a long weekend. First up is the 51st New Year's run of LSV Porz on the morning of 1 January in Cologne, with no timing at all. On 10 January, two events share the same Sunday: the Leonardo Hotels Neujahrslauf by Cologne's Stadtwald park, where you count laps instead of kilometres, and the 47th Ratinger Neujahrslauf around the market square, the closest New Year's classic to Düsseldorf. In between are the Angerlauf in Duisburg and the New Year's run at Dortmund's Phoenix-See lake. (Neujahrslauf is German for New Year's run.) Here are all dates the organizers have confirmed for 2027. As of 3 October 2026.

All New Year's runs 2027 at a glance

Date Event Location Format
Fri, 1 January 2027, 11:00 51st Neujahrslauf des LSV Porz Cologne-Porz, Leidenhausen recreation area 5 or 10 km, run or walk, untimed, donation instead of fee
Sun, 3 January 2027 15th Phoenix InWest Neujahrslauf Dortmund, Hörder Burgplatz at Phoenix-See laps of 3.25 km in 90 minutes, also virtual
Sat, 9 January 2027 46th Angerlauf Duisburg-Huckingen most recently 5 and 10 km
Sun, 10 January 2027 Leonardo Hotels Neujahrslauf Köln Cologne, Leonardo Royal by the Stadtwald laps in 60 or 90 minutes
Sun, 10 January 2027 47th Ratinger Neujahrslauf Ratingen, town centre 500 m toddlers' race, school races, 5 km, 10 km

Sources: helmuturbach.de (LSV Porz), phoenixinwest-neujahrslauf.de, sued-cup.de, leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de, asc-ratingen.de, supertipp-online.de. If you want to see the old year out on the run as well, the 31 December dates are in our guide to New Year's Eve runs in the Rhineland.

Cologne, 1 January: the LSV Porz New Year's run

If you want to run on New Year's morning without looking at your watch, Porz is the place. The running and walking team of LSV Porz invites everyone to its 51st New Year's run on 1 January 2027. Start and finish are at the Hirschgraben car park in the Leidenhausen recreation area; the club notes that start and finish are now also at the "Haus des Waldes" forest centre. No advance entry is needed (source: helmuturbach.de, Neujahrslauf).

Depending on how you feel, you cover 5 or 10 km, running or walking, and explicitly "very relaxed, without timing": the run is meant for recovery and a good start to the year. Instead of an entry fee, LSV Porz asks for a donation to the bird-of-prey rescue station and the Haus des Waldes with its forest school at Gut Leidenhausen. Group leader Helmut Urbach fires the start at 11:00, and everyone who crosses the line gets their first certificate of 2027. Afterwards there are pretzels, tea, coffee and mulled wine (source: helmuturbach.de, Neujahrslauf).

Cologne, 10 January: counting laps by the Stadtwald

The Leonardo Hotels Neujahrslauf holds its second edition in 2027. The idea differs from a classic race: you enter for 60 or 90 minutes and decide on the way how many laps you run or walk. After each lap you either turn into the finish or keep going. Results are ranked by laps: stop after the first lap and you're in the 3.5 km ranking, after the second in the 6.5 km ranking, after the third at 9.5 km and so on, split by gender (source: leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de, race regulations). The lap runs on tarmac through Cologne's Stadtwald park, with start and finish at the Leonardo Royal Köln – Am Stadtwald hotel, Dürener Straße 287.

According to the race regulations, the 60-minute group starts at 9:00 and the 90-minute group at 10:30, with music and late entries from 8:00 (source: leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de, race regulations). The fee rises with the number of entries: €24.90 up to 1,000 entries, €26.90 up to 2,000, then €30.90. Extras include a shirt (€19.90), posting your race pack (€3) and a brunch at the hotel after the run (€45, limited places). Enter by 13 December 2026 to get a personalised bib (source: leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de). The "Kitschburger Str." bus stop (160 m) and the "Dürener Str./Gürtel" tram stop (300 m) are right by the hotel.

The format works well for a running group with mixed paces: everyone starts together, each person stops whenever they like, and you all meet again at the brunch table.

Ratingen, 10 January: the New Year's classic for Düsseldorf

As of early October 2026, Düsseldorf itself has no New Year's run with a confirmed 2027 date. The closest classic is right next door: ASC Ratingen West holds the 47th Ratinger Neujahrslauf on Sunday, 10 January 2027 (source: asc-ratingen.de, Neujahrslauf). Up to 2,000 runners of all ages take on a loop around Ratingen's market square. The youngest run 500 m in the toddlers' race, schoolchildren have their own races in which the school with the most starters is honoured too, and everyone else chooses 5 or 10 km (source: asc-ratingen.de).

According to the announcement in the local paper Supertipp, the schedule is: toddlers at 10:50 and 11:05, school races at 11:20 and 11:40, 5 km at 12:00 and 10 km at 13:00. Online entry is open until 7 January; late entries are taken on 9 and 10 January at the Friedrich-Ebert-Realschule. Fees stay at the level of previous years, the report says, without giving a figure (source: supertipp-online.de, 14 Sep 2026). The race counts towards Ratingen's Sparkassen-Lauf-Cup and the Neanderland-Cup series. More dates from Düsseldorf and around are on our page for races in Düsseldorf.

Duisburg and Dortmund: two options a little further away

On Saturday, 9 January 2027, Sportgemeinschaft Duisburg-Süd opens its Südcup series with the 46th Angerlauf, so far announced only as a "save the date" (source: sued-cup.de). The current race regulations are still those of the 10 January 2026 edition, which ran on a flat, precisely measured loop around the Anger stream over 5 and 10 km, with an adult fee of €14 (source: sued-cup.de, Angerlauf). Distances and fees for 2027 have not been published yet. More about the city is on our page for races in Duisburg.

In Dortmund, the Phoenix InWest Neujahrslauf invites runners to its 15th edition on Sunday, 3 January 2027, at the Hörder Burgplatz by the Phoenix-See lake. The idea is familiar from Cologne: 90 minutes, a 3.25 km lap, as many laps as you can manage. If you can't make it, you can run the same rankings virtually from home (source: phoenixinwest-neujahrslauf.de). More dates are on our page for races in Dortmund.

Which New Year's run suits you?

The Rhineland's New Year's events are very different, which makes the choice easy:

A New Year's run is also a good test of your resolutions. If you plan a spring half marathon or marathon, your training plan often starts in exactly these weeks, and a New Year's run shows where you stand after the holidays. Two weeks after Ratingen, on 23 January, the ASV Duisburg winter running series begins, with three race days until March. After that come the spring half marathons in the Rhineland and the Düsseldorf Marathon on 18 April 2027 (source: uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de). What to wear for January runs is covered in our article on running in winter.

Resolutions that last, in a group

Most resolutions don't fail on 1 January but three weeks later. A fixed date with other people lasts longer than any plan you make alone. Start January in a group, and you have a reason to get out again in February. Running groups and run clubs with weekly sessions are listed on our pages for running groups in Cologne and running groups (Lauftreffs) in Düsseldorf. All of Cologne's races for the year are on our page for races in Cologne.

Spending New Year in Berlin? There the year traditionally starts with the Berliner Neujahrslauf on 1 January.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Which New Year's runs are there in Cologne on 1 January 2027?
On New Year's Day, LSV Porz holds its 51st New Year's run at 11:00 in the Leidenhausen recreation area. You run or walk 5 or 10 km without timing, no entry is needed, and a donation is requested instead of a fee (source: helmuturbach.de, Neujahrslauf).
How does the Leonardo Hotels Neujahrslauf in Cologne work?
You enter for 60 or 90 minutes and decide on the way how many laps to run. Results are ranked by laps: 3.5 km after the first, 6.5 km after the second and so on. It takes place on 10 January 2027 at the Leonardo Royal Köln – Am Stadtwald (source: leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de, race regulations).
Is there a New Year's run in Düsseldorf?
As of 3 October 2026, no 2027 New Year's run has been announced in Düsseldorf. The closest is the 47th Ratinger Neujahrslauf on Sunday, 10 January 2027, with 5 and 10 km around Ratingen's market square (source: asc-ratingen.de, Neujahrslauf).
How much does the Leonardo Hotels Neujahrslauf cost?
The fee rises with the number of entries: €24.90 up to 1,000 entries, €26.90 up to 2,000, then €30.90. A brunch at the hotel costs €45 extra, a shirt €19.90 (source: leonardo-hotels-neujahrslauf-koeln.de).
Which New Year's run suits children?
The Ratinger Neujahrslauf has a 500 m toddlers' race and separate school races; according to the announcement, the toddlers start at 10:50 and 11:05 (source: asc-ratingen.de; supertipp-online.de).
What comes after the New Year's runs?
On 23 January 2027, the ASV Duisburg winter running series begins, with three race days until 13 March (source: asv-winterlaufserie.de). The Düsseldorf Marathon follows on 18 April 2027 (source: uniper-duesseldorfmarathon.de).

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