WILDSIDE EVENT
Clewiston Country Music / 5K / 10K / Half
EVENT DETAILS
The Half Marathon & 5K/10K run is part of the 3 day Clewiston Sugar Festival.
September 26th, 2026
Date
6:45 AM
Time (ET)
108 Royal Palm Avenue
Where
5K, 10K, & Half
Distance
WHAT MAKES THIS RACE UNIQUE
- It's part of the Clewiston Sugar Festival. You're not just running a 5K — you're running into a three-day festival rooted in the city's sugarcane heritage. Live country music, cane-grinding, a car show, a rodeo, a bass tournament, food booths, the whole thing. The race is the start of the weekend.
- Pick your distance — Half Marathon, 10K, or 5K. Same morning, same start area. Chase 13.1 with the half-marathoners (6:45 AM), or step in at 8:00 AM for the 5K or 10K. Whatever distance fits your year, there's a bib for you.
- A country concert is part of the weekend. This is "America's Sweetest Town" turned all the way up. The race is followed by a country music concert and full performer lineup. You don't get that at a sidewalk 5K.
- It's a destination weekend. Clewiston sits on the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee — a road-trip race for South Florida runners. Get out of town, knock out a race, eat some festival food, hear some country music, drive home with a story.
RACE HISTORY
The Clewiston Sugar Festival traces its roots to the United States Sugar Corporation's end-of-harvest barbecues in the 1930s, when workers gathered each spring to crown the King and Queen of Sugar after the last load of cane was ground. Revived city-wide by the Clewiston Merchant Association in 1986, the Festival has grown into a multi-day celebration of "America's Sweetest Town" — and the Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K are how the weekend kicks off.