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Color Run to light up Brussels night

07:45 19/08/2016

It could be one of the most unusual gatherings Brussels has ever seen: around 5,000 people are expected at the Tour & Taxis complex on Saturday evening for a nighttime Color Run where they will be pelted with powder as they jog around a neon and ultraviolet canal zone.

This is fourth Brussels edition of the five-kilometre fun run, but the first after sunset. It is part of a franchise that has held events in 225 cities and 40 countries worldwide.

Although the event is styled as a run, the cheerful crowds are as likely to skip, march, stroll, roll or dance through the course. On a warm night with a breeze off the waterfront, they allow themselves to be doused in coloured glow-in-the-dark cornstarch.

The Color Run, one of a growing field of non-traditional races, culminates in a mass throw of colour packets to create a rainbow cloud during a music festival-type atmosphere.

It is loosely inspired by the Hindu festival Holi where it is tradition to throw natural coloured powders as the seasons change from winter to spring.

Launched in Arizona in January 2012, it has proved wildly popular: the Brussels version last year was Belgium’s third biggest mass participation sporting event after the 20km of Brussels and the Antwerp 10 miles.

But it is not a race: there are no winners or prizes, punters depart when they want in a seven-hour window from 7pm to 1am, and of course many of them walk anyway.

The course features six colour zones, illuminating bubbles, massive colour throws, and glowing foam that feels like running through neon snow. Punters wear a black light headlamp to capture the UV reactive powder during the colour throws, the glow of the colour zones and the night attractions throughout the course. "It’s a glowtastic party!" the organisers promise.

The route is a winding circuit around Tour & Taxis, taking in the redeveloped canal district with its newly refurbished warehouses and waterfronts.

Organisers emphasise fun over competition, connecting with friends and family, being active and enjoying oneself. The event attracts a wide demographic, including children, along with a higher proportion of women than most runs. For many, it is their first race and furthest distance.

The Color Run, Tour & Taxis, 20 August, 19.00-1.00

Written by Leo Cendrowicz