Hurricane Neon Night Run
Friday, October 23, 2026 · 8:00 PM–10:00 PM
Grandpa's Pond Park, Hurricane
The Neon Night Run is Hurricane's Halloween-season fun run, and the gimmick is the whole point: it starts after dark, and everyone runs lit up.
What it is
A 5K and a one-mile around Grandpa's Pond Park, going off in the evening once the light has gone. Entry includes light-up accessories, a bib, a finisher medal and food at the end, with a shirt for anyone who registers early enough.
It is explicitly a fun run rather than a race. The field spans serious runners, families walking the mile, and a good number of costumes, and nobody minds which you are.
Why running here after dark works
October evenings in Washington County are the best running conditions of the year. The daytime heat has broken but the nights have not turned cold, so an eight o'clock start is comfortable in shorts — which is not true of an evening race almost anywhere else in the country at that date.
Hurricane also sits far enough from the St. George light dome that the sky overhead is genuinely dark, and a course lit only by the runners on it is a different experience from a road race under streetlights.
The course and the setting
Grandpa's Pond is a small city park built around a fishing pond on the agricultural edge of Hurricane, and the route loops the water rather than running out onto roads. That keeps the whole field within sight of the start and makes it workable for children on the mile.
It also means the footing is even and the elevation change is negligible — this is not a course anyone sets a personal best on, and it is not trying to be. What it offers instead is a lap of a pond in the dark with several hundred people wearing glow sticks, which is a different sort of evening entirely.
Practical
- Register before the shirt cutoff if you want one; entries after it still run, without.
- The mile goes off just after the 5K, so a family splitting across both distances finishes within a few minutes of each other.
- Bring a layer for afterwards. Standing still by the pond once you have stopped moving is colder than running was.
- Grandpa's Pond Park is on the west side of Hurricane, about half an hour from St. George.
For the wider picture of the season, see St. George events by season.
Frequently asked questions
What distances does the Neon Night Run offer?
A 5K and a one-mile, with the shorter distance starting a couple of minutes after the longer one so families split across both finish close together.
Do you need to bring your own lights?
No — light-up accessories come with entry. Plenty of people add their own anyway, and costumes are common.
Is it a timed race?
It is a fun run rather than a competitive event. The field runs from quick club runners to families walking the mile, and the atmosphere is built around the second group.
Why hold a run at night in October?
Because it is the best running weather of the year here. The summer heat has gone and the genuine cold has not arrived, so an evening start is comfortable in shorts.
How far is Hurricane from St. George?
Roughly half an hour east on Highway 9, the road that carries on toward Zion. The park is on the far side of town from that approach, so allow for crossing Hurricane itself.
Address
350 N 3700 WHurricane, UT 84737