Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade
About this race
🎅🎄 What to Expect at the Grand Rapids Santa Parade! 🎄🎅
The magic of the holiday season is coming to downtown Grand Rapids! The Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade returns on November 21 at 5:00 p.m., bringing festive fun and Christmas cheer to families from across West Michigan.
Santa is making the journey all the way from the North Pole to celebrate with us! He’ll arrive at Rosa Parks Circle around 6:30 p.m., just in time to join the City of Grand Rapids for the annual tree lighting ceremony at 6:45 p.m.
And that’s just the beginning!
This FREE community event will feature:
- More than 50 festive parade entries
- A special visit from Santa
- A children’s letter-writing station with free USPS delivery to the North Pole
- Family-friendly activities following the tree lighting
- Plenty of holiday magic throughout downtown
Bring the whole family, bundle up, and join us as Grand Rapids lights up for the holiday season! 🎄🎅
Pick your distance
Running
Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade - For-Profit Organization
Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade - Non-Profit Organization
Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade - Marching Band Entry
Typical race-day weather
Based on 10 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Grand Rapids, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:42 AM and sets at 5:14 PM local time (EST) in Grand Rapids on November 21, 2026 — 9h 31m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Other races near Grand Rapids
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
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the overGRound marathon/relay
Kickin’ Kawasaki 5k
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🏃 Plan Your Next Race in Grand Rapids
Find upcoming events by distance:
- Grand Rapids 5K Races 54 races
- 10K Run Events in Grand Rapids 13 races
- Grand Rapids Half Marathons 7 races
- Marathons in Grand Rapids 5 races
- Grand Rapids Running Calendar 2026 79 races
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 85 Grand Rapids events
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