the national fried chicken festival

Proudly Presents on Saturday, October 4, 2025

Come for the Run.
Stay for the Fun.

On Saturday, October 4 at 8 AM, we’ll line up for the race on Lakeshore Drive just outside our festival gates, followed by a fun post-race celebration! Competitive Runners, casual walkers of all abilities, and feathers — all are welcome. A 1-mile Kids Fun Run for the kiddos will kick off at 10 am, and the Festival Gates open at 11 AM.

Get your Early Bird Tickets now!

Post Race Party

The race will be lit.
The chicken’s even hotter.

Some will go hard. But, let’s be real — it’s not about your pace. It’s about the golden, fried finish line and a family-fun Post Race Party — unlike any race you’ve ever been to before.

Your ticket will include:

Map of the FCF 5K route

Race registration is open now!

Want to run as a Party of 5 or more — or create/join a Team?

thanks to our sponsors

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

You’ve got questions. We have answers!

The New Orleans Lakefront; Lakeshore Drive @ Franklin Avenue

The run will line up outside of The National Fried Chicken Festival — held at the scenic New Orleans Lakefront along Lakeshore Drive in the green space directly behind the UNO Lakefront Arena.

The start/finish line begins in front of Fried Chicken Festival Front Gates. From there, the course will travel down Lakeshore Drive westbound. There will be water stations along the route. After turning around at the Bayou St. John marker, you’ll follow the same path back to the finish line of the race. The race winds around the historic Lake Pontchartrain. Expect to watch the sailboats on the water, palms blowing in the wind, your family cheering you on, and crispy, crunchy, fried chicken waiting for you at the end with a post race party.

DATE: Saturday, October 4, 2025

5K RUN / WALK
Start Time: 8AM

1 mi KIDS FUN RACE 
Start Time: 10AM

POST RACE PARTY
As racers make their way back to the finish line—sweaty, smiling, and maybe slightly regretting that last kilometer—our Festival Gates will swing open for a well-earned post race celebration.

This FCF 5K Run/Walk is USATF Certified and timed by Grounded Running.  A 5K is a 5 Kilometer (3.1 mile long) race.

We encourage participants to come comfortable to run/walk — come rain or shine.

Themed costumes and unique outfits are encouraged and welcome. ADA and accessibility accommodations are available. Click here to learn more. Our FCF 5K Run/Walk is perfect for adults (ages 21 and up) and our 1mi Kids Fun Run for young kids (ages 5-16)—of abilities. Bring yourself, your family, your office, your college crew, and even your grandma. Everyone is encouraged to participate! 

Children under 7 years old will not need to be registered; however, they will need to remain in a stroller for their safety and to ensure the race runs smoothly for all participants.

On your Race Registration, please select your size and style.

Your t-shirt will be available for pick-up the day before the race during Race Packet Pick-up or day of the race at the Start / Finish line. We cannot guarantee availability of your size preference for any registrations made a week to the race.

Every runner, walker, and community member has a story—and ours started with bringing people together around classic southern food, and Fried Chicken.

Before race day, you can choose to donate to a worthy cause or an organization whose story speaks to you. Your donation helps support and uplift our community.

The Fried Chicken Festival (FCF) brings together food, music, family, culture and—new this year—a healthy 5K run or walk, followed by a vibrant community post-race party. Since our founding in 2016 we have helped dozens of small, independently owned chefs and restaurants grow through the exposure received at our festival, and now our step towards integrating our cultural love of food, while balancing the need for health and wellness if our newest frontier.

We are grateful for your participation in the inaugural 5k, and if you feel so compelled to chip in an extra $10 or more to help advance the mission of the National Fried Chicken Festival of bringing diverse groups of people together around a common love of food, while supporting small businesses, we would appreciate your support! The National Fried Chicken Festival is owned and produced by Festivals for Good, a 501c3 Nonprofit organization.

Can I bring a stroller? Yes, we are stroller-friendly, but we encourage you to stay at the back of the start line for the safety of others! We want even our littlest “runners” to experience our 5K or instead sign up for the 1 mi Kids Fun Run where they can run with kids their age.

Can I bring my dog? Dogs are not allowed at the 5K event.

Besides the satisfaction of crossing the golden, fried finish line, we award medals to all runners and walkers! Gold medals will be given to the Top 3 Overall Male & Female runners. The awards ceremony will begin immediately following the race.

Visit our registration page and select a team when purchasing tickets.

You can register 5 or more people at once and save $5 per registrant.

Yes, contact us at [email protected]