The Jingle Bell Run is a nighttime holiday run that tours favorite neighborhood streets bordering downtown Traverse City that are adorned in holiday lights and decorations. The event welcomes runners and walkers of all ages and abilities donned in festive holiday costumes. It is a fun and festive, family-friendly event.
The Jingle Bell Run is a non-timed 5k run/walk, followed by complimentary cookies and hot cocoa, holiday cheer, and social time. The event, free to current TCTC members, is a reunion to welcome family and friends over the holiday season and enjoy the downtown Traverse City running scene in the winter season. The Jingle Bell Run typically averages over 600 participants!
Schedule for Sunday, December 21st:
Distance: 5K
Course: Neighborhood streets adjacent to downtown Traverse City. Not timed.
Fee: Free to 2026 TCTC members (must become a member or renew your membership by October 31, 2026)
Special Details:
Dec 20, 2026
Distance — 5K
Type — Running
17:30
$20.00
These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for December in Traverse City.
Learn more about the host city, Traverse City.
Traverse City is a scenic city on the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Directly north of Traverse City, the Old Mission Peninsula splits the Grand Traverse Bay in two, with a beautiful windswept landscape and great views of the bay on either side. Slightly to the west, the Leelanau Peninsula, with its charming small towns, forms the "pinkie finger" of the Michigan peninsula, jutting into Lake Michigan. Both peninsulas are prime winemaking regions within the state, and as such are one of the main tourist attractions in the region. Over a million visitors come each year to tour the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a scenic lakeside park with impressively large sand dunes. It's also a very popular destination for outdoor activities, owing to the proximity of Lake Michigan in summer, the impressive autumn colors, and the high snowfalls in winter.
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