The Santa Scramble 5k is an annual event that participates in the holiday festival in Concord, NC. The festival includes the Santa Scramble 5k, Christmas parade, and Christmas tree lighting. The festival begins on Friday evening with the lighting of the Christmas tree in downtown Concord. The holiday event continues the next day with 5k participants running the parade route on Church Street (around 2:00 pm). Race participants are cheered on by the parade audience all the way through downtown Concord. The Christmas parade begins soon after the start of the 5k. This festival brings a large number of people to the downtown Concord area.