Angel Stadium traded baseballs for bib numbers Saturday morning as the annual Northgate Market Día de los Muertos 5K brought runners onto the Anaheim ballpark's course, complete with finisher medals, a post-race expo and themed activities built around the holiday. The race, scheduled for 8:15 a.m. on October 31, 2026, also included a Kids 1K for children ages 3 to 7 that kicked off earlier at 7:45 a.m.
The event listing, detailed by enjoyorangecounty.com, pegged registration at $65.10 for the 5K and $22.70 for the Kids 1K. Proceeds from this year's race were listed as benefiting the González Reynoso Foundation, according to the same event page. NBC Los Angeles covered the race taking over Angel Stadium as part of its Saturday coverage.
A Returning Anaheim Tradition
This isn't the first time the Big A has hosted the costumed, calavera-themed road race. The event is described as annual, with the enjoyorangecounty.com listing noting that the Northgate Market 5K returns each year with a Día de los Muertos theme, and a 2024 edition also took place at the stadium.
That 2024 race, held Saturday, October 12, 2024, was organized in partnership with the Anaheim Community Foundation, per the event's archived page at anaheimcf.org. Its course promised to route runners under the Big A, through the stadium and onto the field, mirroring the stadium-centric layout used again this year. The 2024 edition welcomed runners and walkers of all ages and paired the race with an expo showcasing resources for local residents, with the event's main entrance listed at 2000 Gene Autry Way in Anaheim.
A Different Beneficiary This Year
One notable change between the two documented editions involves where the money goes. The 2024 race proceeds were earmarked for the Accelerate Change Together, or ACT Anaheim Collaborative, according to anaheimcf.org, while this year's listing names the González Reynoso Foundation as the beneficiary instead. The available event materials do not explain the shift in charitable partners between the two years.
Beyond the swap in beneficiaries, the broader shape of the race has stayed consistent: a stadium-based course, family-friendly kids' distance, finisher swag and a vendor expo that turns race morning into a community gathering as much as a competitive run. For Anaheim families who have made the Día de los Muertos 5K part of their fall tradition, Saturday's run offered another lap through the Big A, this time dressed in marigolds and face paint rather than Angels red.
