Escalade Run

This popular running race in Geneva’s Old Town is a pre-Christmas event for all the family with events for all age categories and of varying lengths from 2km to 8km. The first race kicks off at 9.30am and they carry on all day. The amusing finale and the highlight of the Saturday for many is the early evening fancy dress Marmite race (referring not to the opinion-dividing savoury spread but to the French word for cauldron – a historical reference linked to the Escalade Festival the following weekend). Don your best Santa suit or comedy costume and race 3.4km through the Old Town before celebrating your success at the finish line in Bastions Park. Free entertainment goes on throughout the day, including a bouncy castle for kids, and various edible freebies are provided by the event’s sponsors.