The Saddleworth Santa Dash is on Saturday 5th December 2026. It’s always the first Saturday in December, and this will be its 12th year.
It’s a fun run organised by Saddleworth Round Table, and for one afternoon a few thousand Father Christmases take over Uppermill. You can do 2km or 5km. Both start from King George V park in the middle of the village, head out towards Greenfield and come back again. The 2km is pram and wheelchair friendly, and the 5km is a bit more of a challenge. Run it, jog it or walk it. Nobody is timing you.
Tickets are £24.54 for adults, which includes your Santa suit, race number and medal, and £10.46 for children, which includes a Santa hat, race number and medal. Both prices include Eventbrite’s booking fee. You can buy them on Eventbrite until 4 December, and refunds are available up to seven days before the event. The organisers are hoping for 2,600 Santas this year, their biggest Dash yet. Last year more than 2,500 took part, so if you want to run, don’t leave it late.
The Dash is only part of the day. From midday there are market stalls in the park, entertainment on the stage and a bar serving pints and mulled wine. The run starts at 2pm, with prizes presented on stage afterwards. Then from 4pm the village Winter Wonderland begins, with the Santa parade and the lights switch-on. Last year Father Christmas had an escort from the Saddleworth Morris Men. Yes, the same Morris Men who drag the Rushcart round the villages every August. The evening finishes with fireworks, and all of the Winter Wonderland is free to watch.
The weather rarely plays along. The very first Dash ran straight into Storm Desmond. In 2024 it was Storm Darragh, and rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield, an Oldham lad, finished his seven ultramarathons in seven days challenge by running the Dash with around 2,500 Santas in the wind and rain. Nobody seems to mind. Saddleworth in December is not the Algarve, though, so wrap up.
It’s all for a good cause. In the Round Table’s own words: “Every penny raised through Santa Dash entry fees and sponsorships goes straight into our charitable trust fund. These funds are awarded directly to grassroots causes across Saddleworth and Oldham—including primary school PTAs, youth sports teams, local community assets, and vulnerable families.” In 2024 the Dash raised a record of nearly £35,000.
A bit of local background. For the last five years Round Table volunteers have also put the Christmas lights up on Uppermill’s shops. This year they’ve stepped back from that, so the main tree and the village’s communal lights are paid for by local councillors, and the Round Table is lighting up St George’s Gardens instead. Shops are being asked to decorate their own windows, and the best display, judged on Dash day, wins £500 for a charity of its choice. And last year the Saddleworth Tractor Group, whose Christmas Eve tractor parade had grown too big to run safely, joined in with ten vintage tractors down the High Street.
If you’re staying with us, leave the car at the cottage. The village is only a 10-minute walk away, which means a mulled wine, the fireworks and a stroll home afterwards. Suit collection details and the route will be posted on the Saddleworth Round Table Facebook page.
Dash weekend is already booked at the cottage this year. If you know someone who’d love a December weekend like it, a Pots & Pans gift voucher covers two nights with the dog included, and they have a year to use it.
Cheers and beers and Santas!
Cliff