St Nicholas and Christmas Runs 2026 in the Rhineland

On St Nicholas' Day 2026 Cologne and Bonn both race, with more events before and after in Neuss, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen and the Oberbergisches Land. All events with a confirmed 2026 edition, with start times, prices and deadlines.

Chris Mühlnickel · 4 October 2026 · 10 min read

St Nicholas and Christmas Runs 2026 in the Rhineland

St Nicholas' Day – 6 December, when children in Germany find sweets in their boots – falls on a Sunday in 2026, and the Rhineland makes the most of it: there are two St Nicholas races that day, both with kids' races and a free choice of laps, in the morning in Cologne and in the afternoon in Bonn. Around them are smaller events with their own character – a cross-country race in a Neuss stadium, an untimed charity run along a bend of the Rhine in Düsseldorf, and a Christmas jumper run in Leverkusen that has already sold out. Here are all events with a confirmed 2026 date, in date order, with what you need to know to choose. As of 3 October 2026.

All St Nicholas and Christmas events 2026 at a glance

Date Event Location Distances Entry fee Status
Sat, 28 November Glühweinlauf Marienhagen (mulled wine run) Wiehl-Marienhagen (Oberberg) 5 km, 10 km, 7.3 km walking, kids €17 incl. St Nicholas hat Registration open
Sat, 5 December Nikolaus-Crosslauf Jahnstadion, Neuss 3,000 m, 5,000 m, kids €7 or €8 (+€5 deposit) Registration to follow
Sun, 6 December Kölner Nikolauslauf Stadtwald, Cologne-Lindenthal 10 km TopLauf, FunLauf 3.4/6.7/10 km, KidsLauf €21, kids €11 Registration open
Sun, 6 December Bonner Nikolauslauf Rheinaue, Bonn 10 km SpeedRun, FunRun 3.4/6.7/10 km, 1 km kids €24, kids €9 Registration open
Sat, 12 December Nikolauf Himmelgeist Rhine bend, Düsseldorf approx. 6.4 km, untimed €6, kids €1 (donation) Registration to follow
Sun, 13 December Ugly Christmas Sweater Run Ostermann-Arena, Leverkusen just under 5 km, untimed €16–25 Sold out

Sources: gluehweinlauf-marienhagen.de, tg-neuss.de, koelner-nikolauslauf.de, bonner-nikolauslauf.de, juechtlauf.de, ucsr-lev.de. As of 3 October 2026.

Saturday, 28 November: Glühweinlauf Marienhagen

If you want to start the season early, head into the Oberbergisches Land on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. VfR Marienhagen hosts the Glühweinlauf for the 14th time. The main 10 km race starts at 2 pm (born 2014 or earlier, 100-minute time limit), the 5 km open race at 1 pm. There's also 7.3 km for walkers and Nordic walkers, school races over 1 and 1.7 km, and the free "Glühwürmchenlauf" (glow-worm run) over 370 m for the youngest. Adult entry is €17, and that includes a St Nicholas hat (source: gluehweinlauf-marienhagen.de).

Two things work differently here than in the city. First, there's no entry on the day: registration closes on 21 November, after which online late entry runs until 27 November at noon for €3 extra, while bibs last. The participant limit is 1,500 across all races. Second, the largest pre-registered group wins a prize, and the awards take place from 4 pm at the Christmas market in Marienhagen (source: gluehweinlauf-marienhagen.de). If you're coming with your whole running group, register under one shared name. Strictly speaking, Marienhagen is in the Bergisches Land, not the Rhineland. For more races there, see running events in the Bergisches Land.

Saturday, 5 December: Nikolaus-Crosslauf in Neuss

The Turngemeinde Neuss sports club invites runners to the Jahnstadion on the Saturday before St Nicholas' Day. Adults run 3,000 m (start 1:30 pm) or 5,000 m (start 2:30 pm), both for those born 2010 or earlier. The kids go first: bambini (born 2019 or later) over 400 m at noon, under-10s and under-12s over 1,000 m at 12:30 pm, under-14s and under-16s over 1,000 m at 1 pm (source: tg-neuss.de, Nikolaus-Crosslauf).

The fees are the lowest in this roundup: €3 for bambini, €4 for the kids' races, €7 for 3,000 m and €8 for 5,000 m. On top comes a €5 deposit for the bib, refunded when you return it. Registration isn't open yet, according to the club (source: tg-neuss.de, Nikolaus-Crosslauf). Cross-country isn't a road race: expect soft ground and wear shoes with grip. If you fancy something other than tarmac in winter, this is the one.

Sunday, 6 December: Cologne in the morning, Bonn in the afternoon

St Nicholas' Day itself brings two events, and because the start times don't clash, you don't have to choose between the cities – only the format.

Kölner Nikolauslauf in the Stadtwald

The Kölner Nikolauslauf is the biggest St Nicholas event in the Rhineland: more than 4,750 people took part in 2025 (source: koelner-nikolauslauf.de). The 29th edition starts at 10 am with the TopLauf over 10 km (cut-off after 55 minutes), followed by the KidsLauf at 11:30 am and the FunLauf at 11:35 am, where you decide after each lap whether to stop at 3.4, 6.7 or 10 km. Since 1 October, TopLauf and FunLauf cost €21, the KidsLauf €11, and online registration closes on 29 November at 8 pm (source: koelner-nikolauslauf.de, Anmeldung). In 2025 the FunLauf sold out on 25 November. For the full schedule, getting there and choosing between TopLauf and FunLauf, see our page on the Kölner Nikolauslauf.

Bonner Nikolauslauf in the Rheinaue

In the afternoon it's Bonn's turn. The Bonner Nikolauslauf, organised by pulsschlag, runs on a loop through the Rheinaue leisure park, with start and finish at Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 20. The format is similar to Cologne's, but the timings are flipped (source: bonner-nikolauslauf.de, Infos):

The regular entry fee until 29 November is €24 for SpeedRun and FunRun and €9 for the kids' race, from 30 November €28 and €11. You can enter late online or at the race office until shortly before the start (source: bonner-nikolauslauf.de, Infos). The course is measured but not eligible for ranking lists. If you want an official 10 km time for the rankings, the DLV-measured TopLauf in Cologne is the better choice (source: koelner-nikolauslauf.de, Start & Ziel).

One detail makes Bonn easy if you don't have a costume: the organiser hands out free St Nicholas hats at race pack pick-up while stocks last. Race packs are available on Saturday, 5 December, 10 am to 1 pm at the Absolute Run shop in Bonngasse, and on race day from noon on site. Trams 66 and 68 stop at "Rheinaue" (source: bonner-nikolauslauf.de, Infos). The organiser has already published next year's date: Sunday, 5 December 2027. For more on Bonn's running year, see running events in Bonn.

Saturday, 12 December: Nikolauf in Düsseldorf-Himmelgeist

The Nikolauf is the opposite of a race. The St Nikolaus parish in Himmelgeist invites runners of all ages to run about 6.4 km together through the Himmelgeist bend of the Rhine, known locally as "die Jücht". The start is at 3 pm at St Nikolaus church, Nikolausstraße 22. There's deliberately no official timing, but everyone gets a certificate (source: juechtlauf.de, Nikolauf 2026).

The €6 entry for adults and €1 for children and teenagers goes to a good cause. And if your name day is on 6 December – say you're called Klaus, Nicola, Niklas or Nicole – you don't have to pay, according to the organiser, though you're welcome to. Registration is due to open soon (source: juechtlauf.de, Nikolauf 2026). For more dates in the city, see running events in Düsseldorf.

Sunday, 13 December: Ugly Christmas Sweater Run in Leverkusen

Last, the event with the clearest dress code: at the Ugly Christmas Sweater Run you run just under 5 km in the most outrageous Christmas jumper you own, from the Ostermann-Arena along the Dhünn river to Schloss Morsbroich and back. The start is at 10 am, cut-off 11:30 am, minimum age 16. There's no timing, just a clock at the start and finish. A prize goes to the "craziest Christmas outfit", and at the finish there's Kölsch, mulled wine or children's punch (source: ucsr-lev.de). The organiser is Sportpark Leverkusen, a municipal enterprise of the city.

The bad news: the 2026 edition is already sold out, and there's no entry on the day this winter (source: ucsr-lev.de, Anmeldung). If you don't have a place, note it for next year – registration for 2026 opened on 31 August, with places tiered in three price bands up to 500 (source: ucsr-lev.de).

Where to get a St Nicholas hat

A red hat is almost part of the kit at these events, and the organisers handle it differently:

A practical note: over 10 km in December the hat gets warm; a thin running beanie underneath keeps the sweat off. For more on dealing with cold and darkness, see our article on running in winter.

Which event suits you?

You're looking for … Matching events
Your first race with a bib FunLauf in Cologne or FunRun in Bonn (one lap, 3.4 km)
A fast 10 km time TopLauf in Cologne (DLV-measured, ranking-eligible)
Something with kids Kids' races in Cologne, Bonn, Neuss and Marienhagen
Running without a watch Nikolauf in Düsseldorf, Ugly Christmas Sweater Run (sold out)
Getting off the tarmac Nikolaus-Crosslauf in Neuss
A trip with the whole group Glühweinlauf Marienhagen (prize for the largest group)

Through December with your running group

For many running groups, December is the month when training thins out. A shared date with a bib helps you keep going, and the formats in this roundup make it easy to bring everyone along. On the loop courses in Cologne and Bonn, each person runs as far as they like and the group still meets at the same finish. At the Nikolauf in Düsseldorf, running together is the whole point. And in Marienhagen the largest group even wins a prize.

If you're still looking for a group to run with until Christmas: find the Lauftreffs (group runs) and run clubs among the running groups in Cologne, in Düsseldorf and in Bonn. All other dates until the end of the year are in our overviews of running events in Cologne and running events in Düsseldorf.

Not yet scheduled

One well-known event in the Rhein-Sieg district isn't included: the Mondorfer REWE Weihnachtslauf (Christmas run) of TuS Mondorf in Niederkassel took place for the 31st time on the first Sunday of Advent 2025, as part of the Mondorf Christmas market (source: tus-mondorf.de). As of 3 October 2026 the club hasn't published a 2026 date. We'll add it once it's confirmed.

Before: Halloween. After: New Year's Eve

If you want to run in costume as early as October, the 31 October dates are in our article on Halloween runs in the Rhineland. After St Nicholas it carries straight on: the events on 31 December are in our overview of New Year's Eve runs in the Rhineland, and those on 1 January in New Year's Day runs 2027. And if you're in Hamburg in December, there's the St. Pauli X-Mass Run.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When is the St Nicholas run in Cologne in 2026?
On Sunday, 6 December 2026, in Cologne's Stadtwald. The 10 km TopLauf starts at 10 am, the KidsLauf at 11:30 am and the FunLauf at 11:35 am. Online registration closes on 29 November at 8 pm.
Can I run in both Cologne and Bonn on 6 December?
The start times don't overlap: Cologne starts at 10 am, while Bonn's SpeedRun starts at 1 pm and its FunRun at 3 pm. Whether the journey between the Stadtwald and the Rheinaue works for you is something you'll need to plan yourself.
Is there a St Nicholas run in Düsseldorf?
Yes, the Nikolauf on Saturday, 12 December 2026, from 3 pm at St Nikolaus church in Himmelgeist. It covers about 6.4 km through the Himmelgeist bend of the Rhine, untimed. The €6 entry fee goes to a good cause.
Where can I get a St Nicholas hat?
In Bonn the organiser gives hats away at race pack pick-up while stocks last. In Marienhagen the hat is included in the entry fee. In Cologne, €1 from every hat sold goes to the friends' association of the Lindenthaler Tierpark.
Can I still enter the Ugly Christmas Sweater Run in Leverkusen?
No. The 13 December 2026 edition is sold out, and there's no entry on the day this winter. Registration for 2026 opened on 31 August.
Which St Nicholas event is good for kids?
There are kids' races in Cologne (KidsLauf, 3.4 km, born 2011 to 2018), Bonn (Nikoläuschenlauf, 1,040 m, born 2015 or later), Neuss (400 m and 1,000 m) and Marienhagen (370 m free, school races over 1 and 1.7 km).

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