If you ran the Spring Fever 5K in March, the Family Fitness 5K in June and the Orchard Days 5K in August, you're carrying three pieces of a medal that isn't finished yet. The fourth piece goes to finishers of the Santaquin Blizzard 5K this Saturday morning. Two weeks later, Santaquin Holly Days follows the same pattern. Its biggest moment is the 8 p.m. drone show on Saturday, December 5, the last thing on a two-day schedule. Both of the city's holiday-season events save their payoff for the end, and that's the main thing to know when you plan around them.
Saturday's race finishes a medal that started in March
The Blizzard 5K and 1-mile run is set for Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 300 N 400 E in Santaquin. The race starts at 9 a.m. Registration on RaceEntry lists the 5K at $30 and the 1-mile race at $15. The city also links its community events through the Santaquin Recreation registration portal.
The race description calls the puzzle medal something new the city is trying this year. Santaquin's four 2026 races each count as one piece.
| Race | 2026 date | Medal piece |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Fever 5K | March 28 | 1 of 4 |
| Family Fitness 5K | June 6 | 2 of 4 |
| Orchard Days 5K | August 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Blizzard 5K | November 21 | 4 of 4 |
The Blizzard 5K is the last race on that calendar, so it's the last chance to finish the medal in 2026. For anyone who has run all three earlier races, Saturday decides whether the medal comes out whole. For anyone who has never run a Santaquin race, the Blizzard 5K is still a full race on its own. The 1-mile option at half the 5K price works for younger runners or anyone who wants a shorter cold-weather morning.
After the race comes Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and Holly Days opens the Friday after that.
Holly Days takes the same shape
Santaquin Recreation's Holly Days runs Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Santaquin Recreation, 110 S. Center Street. The full schedule is posted on the NowPlayingUtah event listing, and the city keeps its own Holly Days page for admission details.
The festival builds up over the two days much like the race series built up over the year. Friday is short and stays in one building. Saturday starts in that same building, and then a second building and the outdoor grounds open in the late afternoon. The schedule ends with the drone show at 8 p.m.
Friday, December 4: five hours in the South Recreation Building
Everything on Friday happens in the South Recreation Building from 3 to 8 p.m.
- Gingerbread House Display, 3 to 8 p.m.
- Letters to Santa Station, 3 to 8 p.m.
- Christmas Boutique, 3 to 8 p.m.
- Special guests and live entertainment, 3 to 8 p.m.
- Payson Choir, 3 to 3:30 p.m.
- Buddy the Elf for storytime and pictures, 6 to 8 p.m.
Santa isn't on Friday's schedule, and neither are food trucks. That makes Friday a simpler evening built around the boutique and the gingerbread display. Families with young children can come after dinner for Buddy the Elf's storytime and photos and be home by 8:15. Anyone set on the choir needs to be there right at the 3 p.m. opening, because its slot lasts half an hour.
Saturday, December 5: the day doubles in size after 4 p.m.
Saturday's schedule, in time order:
- 10 a.m. South Recreation Building opens with the Gingerbread House Display, Letters to Santa Station and Christmas Boutique, all running until 8 p.m., and special guests and live entertainment until 5 p.m.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Grinch for pictures.
- 3 to 8 p.m. Santa Claus.
- 4 p.m. The North Recreation Building opens, inside and outside, with horse carriage rides until 8 p.m. and food trucks until 8:30 p.m.
- 5 to 8 p.m. Santa's Reindeer photo ops, reindeer games and coloring activities, and marshmallow roasting while supplies last.
- 6 to 8 p.m. Buddy the Elf and friends balloon tying, back in the South Recreation Building.
- 8 p.m. Drone light show.
Count the hours on Saturday. In the morning, one building runs four activities. After 5 p.m., both buildings are open, Santa and Buddy the Elf are working at the same time in the South building, and the North building has carriages, reindeer, games and a fire going for marshmallows. Most of the festival happens in Saturday's last three hours.
Last year's version, for comparison
ABC4's 2025 holiday events roundup described Holly Days on Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6, 2025, as a two-day celebration with a Christmas boutique, gingerbread house displays, reindeer games, storytime with an elf and pictures with Santa. Those parts are all back on the 2026 schedule. This year's listing also names horse carriage rides, food trucks, marshmallow roasting, the Grinch, the Payson Choir and the 8 p.m. drone light show. Like the race calendar, the 2026 festival keeps the familiar daytime events and puts the big features at the end.
Planning around the 8 p.m. finish
Saturday's schedule forces a few choices.
Santa and the drone show overlap at the end. Santa sits in the South Recreation Building from 3 to 8 p.m., and the drone show starts at 8 p.m. A family that waits in Santa's line close to closing time could still be indoors when the show begins. Visiting Santa between 3 and 4 p.m., before the North Recreation Building opens, leaves the rest of the night open.
Marshmallows depend on supply. The listing says roasting runs from 5 to 8 p.m. "while supplies last." Getting to the fire early in that window is the safer plan than waiting until right before the show.
Dinner can come after the finale. Food trucks open at 4 p.m. and serve until 8:30 p.m., half an hour after the drone show starts. That gives families time to eat after the show instead of rushing through it.
Carriage rides stop at 8 p.m. Rides run from 4 to 8 p.m. The 4 p.m. start comes an hour before the reindeer, games and marshmallows begin at 5, so the first hour is the time to ride before the rest of the North building's activities begin.
Friday and Saturday afternoon cover a lot. If a late Saturday doesn't work for a toddler's bedtime, Friday evening's Buddy the Elf storytime and the Saturday 11 a.m. Grinch photos cover the character visits. The gingerbread display, Letters to Santa and the boutique are open the whole time both days.
The listing gives no admission price, so check the city's Holly Days page for current details before you go.
The two Saturdays on one calendar
| Blizzard 5K | Holly Days | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 21 | Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5 |
| Location | 300 N 400 E | Santaquin Recreation, 110 S. Center Street |
| Start | 9 a.m. | 3 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday |
| The ending | Fourth and final puzzle medal piece | Drone light show, 8 p.m. Saturday |
| Cost listed | $30 for the 5K, $15 for the 1-mile | Check the city's Holly Days page |
Florencia Barrera follows Santaquin's city calendar as closely as its market, and she's glad to talk timing in English or Spanish between the race and the drone show. If you're weighing whether to list before or after the holidays, start with a clear number in English or Spanish. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and enjoy the drone show on December 5.
