Color Fun Fest Dallas, San Jose

If the Color Fun Fest 5K & Carnival were televised, it might have viewers wondering if someone had messed with their TVs' color settings. That's because, at 1-kilometer intervals across the race course, staffers shower runners with neon powders, transforming them into a kind of collective stampeding rainbow, which is illuminated by powerful black lights during night waves. But participants won't find a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow or, for that matter, a podium: the 5K run is noncompetitive and doesn't track times. Instead, they'll step into a lively finish-line festival—with music during the run, vendors, and a DJ-led after party—where colors fly through the air and stopwatches are smashed like piñatas.

Runners get showered with over 10,000 pounds of color as they navigate a 1.8-mile course. They can run up to three times on two different courses on the same day for runners who prefer the day or night. After the run, participants can enjoy carnival attractions and high-energy EDM music, jugglers, face painters, balloons, carnival games, LED hoopers, and the famous Inflatable Village. All the proceeds from the carnival attractions benefit the nonprofit Just Care More foundation, which is committed to providing underprivileged kids a life-altering summer-camp experience.