LIMITED PLACES LEFT FOR CITY’S ICONIC FESTIVE SANTA DASH

BTR Liverpool Santa Dash on Sunday 7 December 2025

Lord Mayor visits event shop at St Johns Shopping Centre

Entries pass 9,000 entries with one week to go

Be part of the UK’s biggest festive 5K fun run

Limited places left so only days left to register

The iconic BTR Liverpool Santa Dash returns next weekend – and time is running out to be part of the festive spectacular.

Event day is Sunday 7 December 2025, and the event has already surpassed last year’s numbers with 9,000 eager red, blue, and mini Santas signed up.

Places are now limited and registration is now only in person at the Santa shop at St Johns Shopping Centre. Blue places sold out in early November.

The event features the world-famous BTR Liverpool Santa Dash 5K and a shorter run for youngsters aged 12 and under with the Mini Dash 1K.

The 5K route starts at 9.30am from Pier Head Liverpool, taking Santas through Grade I Listed Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, round the city centre, before a showstopping finish line at Liverpool Town Hall featuring stilt-walking festive characters and ‘real’ snow.

This is followed by the Mini Dash 1K, which starts in Castle Street at 11am.

First staged in 2004, the event is highly regarded as the city’s kick-start to Christmas – and is UK’s biggest festive 5K fun run.

 Last year’s Santa Dash sold out a week before – a first for the event. It attracted over 8,500 red, blue and mini Santa entries, making it the biggest dash for a decade. This year’s entries have already surpassed that number.

Organisers BTR Liverpool opened the doors to the Santa Dash pop-up shop at St Johns Shopping Centre early November. There has since been a steady stream of thousands of Santas signing up and collecting their Santa suits and goodie bags.

Final entries are being taken at the shop. Online entries are now closed. The shop is also the Santa suit pick-up point for easier online registrations.

The shop is located on the lower level of St Johns Shopping Centre near the Matalan bridge and Post Office. Opening times are Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm, and Sunday between 11am and 4pm.

Lord Mayor Of Liverpool, Councillor Barbara Murray visited the shop to meet the team behind the event including BTR Race Director Alan Rothwell. They were joined by presenter Claire Simmo from In Demand Radio, the event’s Official Media Partner; and Neil Ashcroft, Centre Director of St Johns Shopping Centre.

The shop is open seven days a week. This is the ninth consecutive year that St Johns has been involved – a large team will also be taking part in the 5K.

The event is also supported by partners Royal Albert Dock Liverpool and Arriva North West.

The visit was complete with representatives from the eight charities being supported by BTR Liverpool spanning the 2025 event portfolio.

Santas are encouraged to fundraise for one of the eight charities to support their vital work in the local community.

The eight charities are Alder Hey Children’s Charity; Claire House Children’s Hospice; Clatterbridge Cancer Charity; Liverpool Women’s Hospital Charity; Liverpool Zoe’s Place; Mersey Cares; North West Air Ambulance; and Wirral University Teaching Hospital.

The Lord Mayor Of Liverpool spent time chatting to the charities about their projects.

The group were then given a sneak preview of this year’s commemorative finishers’ medal – generous in size, heavily glittered, and featuring Santas and snowmen.

The Lord Mayor will attend on event day. She will help to officially start the main Santa Dash from Pier Head Liverpool, waving off thousands of Santas as they cross the start line before cheering on the mini Santas at their 1K fun run.

Created by BTR Liverpool Race Director Alan Rothwell, the very first Liverpool Santa Dash took place in 2004.

It has continued to evolve over the past two decades. In 2007, the Mini Dash 1K was introduced for youngsters, while blue Santa suits were added to the fun in 2010 due to public demand.

BTR Race Director Alan Rothwell commented:

“Time is running out to sign up and be part of the biggest festive 5K fun run in the UK, and it’s right here in Liverpool. The event has grown massively in the last couple of year – firmly positioning it as a real highlight in the city’s annual event calendar.

“There is nothing quite like the sight of seeing thousands of red, blue, and mini Santas making their way to Pier Head Liverpool on event morning to gather and kick-start the festivities.

“The BTR Liverpool Santa Dash is a real labour of love for the BTR Team. The shop at St Johns Shopping Centre has already been open for four weeks and it’s been extremely busy – with excitement steadily mounting as Santas call in to register and collect everything they need.

“The event is likely to be another sell-out so do not miss out. The joy is infectious.”

The Santa Dash is accessible and open to everyone. Santas walk, jog, or run alongside wheelchair participants, charities, families, friends, colleagues – baby Santas in prams, and four-legged furry Santas.

The event also acts as a platform for community groups, businesses, and charities to fundraise independently while taking part.

The BTR Liverpool Santa Dash entry fee covers all costs to organise and deliver the event including road closures, safety measures, Santa suits, medals, goodie bags, and entertainment.

A bit about the BTR charity partners…

ALDER HEY CHILDREN’S CHARITY

Alder Hey Children’s Charity raises funds to help make Alder Hey Children’s Hospital a world-class, patient-friendly hospital for 450,000 patients and families annually. The MediCinema Appeal has funded a cinema in the hospital to enable long-term patients with complex health issues the chance to experience blockbuster releases with siblings and families, with space for wheelchair access, beds, and medical equipment.

CLAIRE HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

Claire House Children’s Hospice helps seriously ill and terminally ill children live life to the full – while creating wonderful memories, and bringing back a sense of normality to family life. It’s a place for children to relax and enjoy themselves, whatever their age. Specialist nursing and emotional support from Claire House helps families smile when life couldn’t get any tougher.

CLATTERBRIDGE CANCER CHARITY

Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is the only charity dedicated to supporting patients, research, and staff at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. Thanks to its supporters, they can achieve so much for local people with cancer which may not be possible through NHS funding alone. Monies raised help fund life-saving research, invest in leading technology, enhance the patient environment, and enable innovations in care.

LIVERPOOL WOMEN’S HOSPITAL CHARITY

Putting patients first is at the heart of everything they do. Liverpool Women’s Hospital Charity raises funds on behalf of the Trust for initiatives, projects and equipment for its neonatal service, gynaecology oncology service, fertility service, maternity fund, staff welfare and wellbeing. The enhancements make a big difference to the comfort and wellbeing of patients, while improving facilities and space.

LIVERPOOL ZOE’S PLACE

Liverpool Zoe’s Place supports babies and young children with complex illnesses or disabilities from birth to age five. The charity ensures that very unwell children can enjoy the best possible quality of life, while also supporting their families. The hospice offers respite, palliative, and end of life care for children. The team strive to make every moment of childhood count.

MERSEY CARES

Mersey Cares is the dedicated charity for Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. It funds innovative projects and developments across specialist services in physical and mental health, learning disabilities, and addictions services across Merseyside and Cheshire. Projects have included a dementia support group for those recently diagnosed with young onset dementia. The charity wants to support communities to have good health.

NORTH WEST AIR AMBULANCE

North West Air Ambulance helicopters and critical care vehicles operate all year round. Highly skilled on-board doctors and paramedics provide enhanced pre-hospital care across the North West – covering 5,500 square miles and over eight million people. The charity is not part of the NHS, and does not receive Government funding. It must raise £18million every year to continue saving lives.

WUTH CHARITY

The WUTH Charity makes a real difference to thousands of patients of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH), cared for in Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge Hospitals each year. It provides support by purchasing world-class medical equipment, improving patient amenities, and supporting staff wellbeing. This is a young charity with bags of energy and enthusiasm to support its fundraisers.

BTR Liverpool is the leading organisation for creating, managing, and delivering headline running events across Liverpool City Region.

The annual calendar of competitive races and fun runs take place between March and December.

The portfolio also features Liverpool Half Marathon and 10 Miler, Mersey Tunnel 10K, Run For The 97, Women’s 10K, Port Sunlight Road Race 10K, and Wirral 10K.

The Liverpool Santa Dash concludes the BTR event portfolio for 2025. Next year’s event season begins with the BTR Liverpool Half Marathon and 10 Miler on Sunday 15 March 2026. Places for the 10-miler have already sold out.

Full details about BTR Liverpool events visit www.btrliverpool.com