601 Mallery Street, Saint Simons Island GA
Saturday, July 4th, 2026
42nd Annual July 4th Sunshine Festival 5k Race and 1-mile on St Simons Island!
Finisher Medals
- Medals: Finisher medals for all 5k and 1-mile finishers!
- Website: This is our OFFICIAL Race Website!
Hotel Discount
- Sea Palms Resort: Attention Runners! Getting a good night's rest is essential for crushing your 5k race.
- Discount: Use this link for 10% off! Sea Palms Resort (travelclick.com)
Important Notes
- Pace: Starting Line is self-seeded by average expected pace per mile.
- Strollers: Strollers ARE ALLOWED, be careful and respectful of the Adaptive Athletes.
- Dogs: Dogs ARE NOT ALLOWED: this is due to insurance liability and safety issues.
- Registration: NO RACE DAY registrations on July 4th.
Pre-Race Day Packet Pickup
- Date: Friday, July 3rd, 4-7 pm at (Location to be determined).
- Packet Pickup: Your friends or family can pick up your packet but may have to get in multiple lines.
- Race Day: Race Day packet pickup is available Saturday, July 4th, 6 am at Kings Park basketball courts.
- Awards: Awards cannot be picked up early.
Starting Line
- Location: St Simons Park / Kings Park, 515 Park Ave, St Simons Island, GA 31522.
- Pace Groups: The starting line will be sorted by expected pace with 10 different pace group sections.
- Push Rim Division: Starts 2 minutes ahead of everyone else.
Bathrooms
- Facilities: 2 multi-stall bathrooms in Mallery Park by the ball field.
- Additional Options: 8 bathrooms in the Village Pier Casino building on Beachview Drive.
- Porta-potties: 8 Porta-potties by the starting Line.
Photos
- Photographer: Sports in Motion Photography will be photographing our event this year.
- Digital Images: We are providing the digital images for FREE!
Food and Snacks On-Site Race Day
- Sandy Bottom Bagels: Bagels available.
- Parker's: Handing out water bottles.
- Georgia Watermelon Association: Handing out watermelon.
- Starbucks: Serving cold brew.
5K Route
- Certification: USTAF Certified 5k route.
- Preview: MapMyRun
1 Mile Route
- Course: Follows 5K course on Park Ave, turning right onto Magnolia Ave.
- Finish Line: All finish at the Start Line on Park Street.
- Chip Timed: The 1-mile fun run will be chip timed.
- Map: Sunshine Festival 1 Mile MAP
Awards
- Medals: All participants who complete the course and are wearing a bib will receive a Finisher medal.
- Ceremony: The Award Ceremony will take place at approximately 8:30 am.
Parking
- Recommendations: Please carpool, be dropped off, ride a bike, or walk!
- Allowed Areas: Park along Mallery Street, around the ballpark, in the village, by the library or lighthouse.
July 4th Activities
- Craft Show: Visit our 3-day festival with 60 artists and makers.
- Golf Cart Parade: July 4, 11:00am – Deck out your golf cart in red, white and blue.
- Live Music: Throughout the day, live bands entertain on the bandstand in the village area.
- Fireworks: July 4, 9:00pm – The annual fireworks display launched from the pier.
More Information
- Festival Details: More at www.facebook.com/CraftsintheVillage.
- Race Link: For more information, visit the official race page.
Course Map
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