Zorroza-Bilbao Halloween Run 2026: date, price and details

Plan your race pace

The Zorroza Halloween Run returns on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, with a 10-kilometer popular race, school races and a team costume contest. The start and finish will be on the athletics track at Zorroza Sports Centre in Bilbao, and the route will run alongside the estuary. The event combines sport and a festive atmosphere, although the published information does not specify a start time or provide a kilometer-by-kilometer route map.

Entry for the popular race costs 15 euros through Oct. 25; general registration closes on Oct. 26 unless entries sell out sooner. School races are free. Participants in the 10K must be at least 16 on race day, and finishers will receive a finisher medal. These are the key details for planning the morning without treating unannounced information as confirmed.

A popular race alongside the Bilbao estuary

The event combines a familiar distance for regular runners with a Halloween theme. The course is described as following the estuary and the surroundings of Zorroza, while Zorroza Sports Centre serves as both the start and finish. Having both points in one area should make it easier for participants and spectators to find their bearings, although runners should check the organizer’s updates before travelling in case operational arrangements change.

The available description says the route passes notable parts of the city, but does not provide a full map or a list of streets. It is therefore not possible to specify elevation changes, surface type, narrow sections or refreshment points. The waterside reference suggests an urban route with the estuary nearby, but the course’s technical details have not been specified in the published information.

The main distance is 10 kilometers, a length that can attract both experienced runners and those who have completed shorter events and want to take the next step. The race is presented as a popular event for different kinds of participants, with a clear age requirement: runners must have turned 16 by Nov. 1. The available information does not mention cut-off times, start corrals or timing services, so these should not be assumed.

Date, schedules and details still to come

The announced date is Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Bib pickup times have been published: Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and race day, Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The Sunday option allows runners to collect a bib on race day, although it leaves less room to deal with any issue than collecting it earlier.

The 10K start time does not appear in the information provided. The times for the school races and the order of the events have not been detailed either. Sunday bib pickup ends at 11 a.m., but that information does not establish the race start time. The organizer may publish a more precise schedule later, so checking official announcements before arranging travel is sensible.

Other missing details include the final course, refreshment points, timing arrangements and the process for collecting someone else’s bib. A bag-drop service is not specified, although the sports center does have lockers and showers. Separating confirmed details from pending ones makes it easier to plan realistically: the date, distance and venue have been announced, but several logistical details have not.

Registration, entry fee and minimum age

The stated entry fee for the popular race is 15 euros for registrations completed by Oct. 25. General registration is scheduled to close on Oct. 26, although it may end earlier if all entries are taken. The information does not say whether a different fee applies on the final day, so it would be wrong to assume either a late surcharge or that the 15-euro price remains in effect beyond the date explicitly given.

School races are free, making family participation possible without an entry fee for children registered for those events. The school distances and detailed registration process for each category have not been published. Families should check the organizer’s specific information, particularly to confirm age requirements, schedules and whether a parent or guardian must provide consent.

For the 10-kilometer race, the minimum age is 16 on race day. A participant’s date of birth, not just their birth year, determines whether they meet that requirement on Nov. 1. The available information does not say whether a waiver allows younger participants, so no exception should be assumed. The stated registration deadline is Oct. 26, or earlier if entries sell out.

A program for runners and schoolchildren

The event is not limited to the 10K. The program includes school races across several age categories, with podiums planned for benjamín, alevín and infantil divisions. This gives the morning a family-oriented, participatory element, although the distances and start order for each group have not yet been announced. The school events are free, a confirmed detail that distinguishes them from the popular race.

The information also mentions podiums for the Popular 10K. It does not say whether there will be classifications by sex, additional age groups or awards in other categories, so it would be unwise to extend the announced awards beyond what is stated. Podiums confirm that competition will sit alongside the festive atmosphere, but the complete classification rules have not been published.

Everyone who completes the 10 kilometers will receive a finisher medal, a keepsake marking the end of the race for each participant. At an event combining sport and costumes, the medal offers individual recognition while the team contest adds another reason to take part. It is not clear whether school-race participants will receive a medal; the published information only confirms a finisher medal for those completing the popular distance.

Team costumes and Halloween atmosphere

The costume contest is one of the features that sets this event apart from a conventional urban race. The organizer plans to select the most frightening team through a vote on Instagram. Collective creativity therefore becomes part of the program alongside the clock and race results. The voting dates, duration and judging criteria have not been announced, leaving those details open.

The team format encourages runners to coordinate their outfits and create a shared look, but there are no published requirements for team size, separate contest registration or permitted materials. It is also unclear whether costumes must be worn for the entire course. In any case, comfort and safety should take priority over appearance: clothes that restrict a stride, loose accessories or masks that limit vision can make running more difficult.

The theme may give the start line a look unlike that of a typical athletics event, with dark colors, fantasy details and coordinated groups gathered by the track. However, the available information does not make a costume compulsory for the 10K. The contest is presented as a parallel activity rather than a condition of entry. That distinction lets each runner decide how much to embrace Halloween without changing the sporting purpose of the morning.

Bib pickup and sports-center facilities

Bibs can be collected at Zorroza Sports Centre at three times: Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Picking up a bib before race day avoids concentrating every task on Sunday morning, although each participant will need to choose the time that best suits their travel plans.

The sports center has showers and lockers, according to the published details. Using the lockers requires a padlock or a magnetic key, but it is not clear whether the venue provides the latter or how to obtain it. It is therefore best to confirm the conditions of use before relying on this facility and not to leave valuables unsecured. The shower information does not specify hours, availability or any capacity limits either.

Sunday bib pickup ends at 11 a.m., so participants choosing that option should check when the race starts and how much time they will have to store belongings and get ready. Because the start time has not been published, no precise time buffer can be recommended. Keeping bib information handy and allowing time to find the sports-center entrance are simple precautions, particularly on a morning with both popular and school events.

How to read the route information

The organizer describes a route alongside the estuary and around some notable parts of Bilbao, starting and finishing on the sports center’s athletics track. That description helps establish the event’s general character, but it is no substitute for a course map. Without a detailed route, it is impossible to accurately assess turns, gradients, street width or the surface of each section. The announced distance is 10 kilometers; other technical characteristics have not yet been specified.

For runners preparing for the event, the distance provides a basis for planning a sustained effort, but it is not enough to predict a suitable pace. Elevation, surface and weather can change how hard a race feels, even on an urban course. Until a map is published, it is best not to extrapolate from other Bilbao races or assume that the entire route will be flat or run directly beside the water.

The estuary may provide a clear visual reference during the race, although the description does not identify specific landmarks or confirm that the course passes particular monuments or tourist areas. This avoids creating expectations about a route that has not yet been shared in detail. Once the map is available, participants will be able to assess access points, possible crossings and places where spectators can watch the race.

A shared morning of sport and celebration

The combination of a popular race, school events and a costume contest gives the event a broader reach than race results alone. For adults, the 10 kilometers are the central challenge; for children, the school races bring athletics into a festive morning. Free entry for school races and the inclusion of children’s categories reinforce that family profile, even though some participation details are still unavailable.

The event falls on a Sunday at the start of November, when daylight and weather can differ from summer evenings. The information does not include a forecast, naturally, or detailed procedures for rain or cold. Participants can check the forecast as the date approaches and choose suitable clothing, bearing in mind that decisions about changes or disruptions belong to the organizer.

Spectators should also distinguish between bib-pickup times and race start times. They are separate schedules, and so far only the former has been published. A festive atmosphere does not remove the need to follow any safety and movement instructions that are announced. At a busy event, coordination among runners, families and organizers helps keep things orderly on the track and around the entrances.

What is confirmed and what to check before the start

The central details are clear for now: the event will take place on Nov. 1, 2026, at Zorroza Sports Centre, with a 10-kilometer popular race and free school races. Runners who complete the main distance will receive a finisher medal. Bibs can be collected on Friday, Saturday or Sunday during the announced time slots. The 10K entry fee is 15 euros through Oct. 25, and registration closes Oct. 26 unless entries sell out first.

By contrast, the start time, full route map, school-race distances, refreshment points and detailed timing and sports-center arrangements have not been published. The full process for the costume contest is also unknown. These gaps do not invalidate the information already released, but they do make it important to distinguish official details from assumptions: the event date and registration conditions are confirmed, while part of the logistics is still to come.

The race offers an unusual way to cover 10 kilometers: with the estuary as a reference, a finish on the Zorroza track and Halloween color around the competition. Its appeal will depend on both the atmosphere and how clearly the outstanding details are shared. As Sunday approaches, the route, schedule and contest rules should complete the picture; for now, the date and essential information already point to a popular athletics event for participants of different ages.