The Night Nation Run

Name

The Night Nation Run

Legal name

The Night Nation Run

Website

https://nightnationrun.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Night Nation Run is a private San Diego-based experiential events company that produces touring 5K "running music festivals" across 40+ U.S. cities, combining a fun run with live DJs and an after party, monetized through tiered ticket sales, merchandise, and brand sponsorships for individual consumers, corporate wellness buyers, and national sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Fitness Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

DJ & Electronic Music Venues (MPAGAIAE), Nightlife Events & Club Tickets (THAJAFAK)

Keywords

• Running music festivals
• 5K fun runs
• Experiential fitness events
• Nighttime running events
• Music themed races

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Registration Tickets: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for 5K running music festival events. Registration tiers include Standard, Premium, and VIP packages with varying price points and inclusions. Tickets are sold through RunSignUp platform.
2. Sponsorship and Brand Partnerships: Revenue from brand partnerships at local, regional, and national levels. Brands gain access to millennial market through on-site activations, custom social media marketing, and digital branding opportunities.
3. Merchandise Sales: On-site merchandise sales including co-branded Night Nation/SU2C items, glow gear, t-shirts, and event memorabilia.
4. Add-on Purchases: Additional purchases available during registration including race day packet pickup fees, extra merchandise, and premium add-ons. Participants can add purchases up to two days before events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Night Nation Run produces large-scale 5K fun run events that double as music festivals, featuring live DJs, light shows, bubble zones, neon and black light environments along the course, and a main stage after-party with headliner DJs. Events are staged at major sports venues and stadiums across 40+ U.S. cities, with ticket registration handled through the RunSignUp platform across Standard, Premium, and VIP tiers.

Product overview

The Night Nation Run is a single unified product - the World's 1st Running Music Festival. It is a 5K fun run wrapped in a music festival experience with live DJs, light shows, and themed zones. The core offering is the main event with three registration tiers (Standard, Premium, VIP) differentiated by included amenities and access. The product portfolio extends to the main stage After Party as a featured component, plus several engagement programs including Influencer and Brand Ambassador programs for marketing, a Corporate Wellness program for team bookings, Group Discounts for bulk purchases, and a charity partnership with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) for cancer research fundraising. To date, over 1 million people have participated across events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Night Nation Stands Up Movement: Charitable initiative in partnership with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) to support cancer research fundraising through event participation.

Products and services

• Night Nation Run 5K Running Music Festival The flagship experience combining a 5K fun run course with live DJs, light shows, bubble zones, neon and black lights, culminating in a main stage after-party with headliner DJs. Sold in Standard, Premium, and VIP registration tiers across 40+ U.S. cities. Aimed at runners, walkers, and party-goers of all skill levels.
• Night Nation After Party Main stage event following the 5K run featuring multiple DJs, lights, fog, cryo, confetti guns, giveaways, and headliner performances with food and alcohol available for purchase. Included with all event registrations.
• Corporate Wellness Program Corporate team event program that allows organizations to register groups of employees for the Night Nation Run experience as a team-building and wellness activity with group pricing.
• Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Charity Partnership Official charity partnership where Night Nation Run supports Stand Up To Cancer's cancer research initiatives through $1 customizable 'I STAND UP FOR' race bib donations, co-branded merchandise sales (with $5 donated per item), and fundraiser sign-ups under the Night Nation Stands Up Movement.
• On-Site Event Merchandise On-site merchandise sold at events including co-branded Night Nation/SU2C items, glow gear, t-shirts, race day packet pickup upgrades, and event memorabilia.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial charity partner of Night Nation Run. SU2C is a groundbreaking initiative to accelerate innovative cancer research. Night Nation supports SU2C through $1 donations for customizable 'I STAND UP FOR' race bibs, co-branded merchandise sales ($5 donated per item), and fundraiser sign-ups. The partnership enables participants to contribute to cancer research while enjoying the running music festival experience.
• SoulCycleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational sponsor of Night Nation Run. SoulCycle is a fitness brand that aligns with the company's fitness-entertainment positioning.
• GatorademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational sponsor providing hydration products at Night Nation Run events. Brand appears in event sponsorship sections.
• Lower Sugar (Gatorade brand)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLower sugar variant of Gatorade sponsor for Night Nation Run events, supporting health-conscious positioning.
• Propel (Gatorade brand)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPropel hydration sponsor for Night Nation Run, appearing alongside other Gatorade brand sponsors.
• Beats SensesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal/regional sponsor appearing on Orange County event page alongside other sponsor logos.
• RunSignUpcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party registration and ticketing platform used for all Night Nation Run events. RunSignUp handles race registration, volunteer management, and participant communications including confirmation emails and registration modifications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Color Run: Color Run pioneered the themed 5K fun run concept with color-powder stations along the course and a finish-line festival. Directly comparable to Night Nation Run as a touring experiential 5K operator that monetizes through tickets, sponsorships, and merchandise with a similar demographic and price point.
• Electric Run: Electric Run combines a 5K with neon, black-light, and electronic music experiences. Closest concept-adjacent competitor to Night Nation Run given the night-time, neon, DJ-driven format targeting a similar millennial audience.
• Blacklight Run: Blacklight Run is a UV/neon-themed 5K run with a finish-line after-party. Directly comparable to Night Nation Run's neon-and-black-light course production and DJ-driven after-party model.
• Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series: Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is the largest music-themed running event series globally, combining races with live bands along the course and finish-line concerts. The most established direct competitor combining endurance events with live music at scale.
• Tough Mudder: Tough Mudder operates large-scale obstacle-course events with festival-style finish-line experiences and strong sponsor monetization. Comparable as an experiential endurance-events operator serving a similar millennial demographic at similar price points.
• Spartan Race: Spartan Race is a global obstacle-race and festival-style endurance event operator with national sponsorships and tiered ticket offerings. Comparable touring model and experiential-events monetization strategy, though skews to obstacle rather than music.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live entertainment promoter and ticketing operator. Broad incumbent in the same music-festival space; provides scale comparison for sponsor monetization and touring economics, though Night Nation Run is a focused niche operator rather than a multi-format promoter.
• AEG Presents: AEG Presents is a major concert promoter and venue operator with nationwide festival and event programming. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the live music events space against which Night Nation Run competes for sponsorships and audiences.

Emerging players

• RAM Racing (Hot Chocolate Run): RAM Racing produces themed urban 5K/15K events including the Hot Chocolate Run series with strong sponsor partnerships. Comparable themed 5K operator targeting similar consumer demographics with a focus on premium amenity packages.

Others

• RunSignup: RunSignup is the registration and ticketing platform that powers Night Nation Run's entire registration flow. Listed as a key infrastructure/technology partner and a comparable ecosystem participant for any PE assessing platform dependencies or platform-adjacent opportunities in the endurance-events space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/nightnationrun
• Xx.com/nightnationrun

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Night Nation Run