About the Rest in Peace 5K
A Run for the dead, not from them.
Organized by the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries, the Rest in Peace 5K Run is the premier Halloween costume run and after-party in a Cemetery at night in the region. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of both historic sites - Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries. Unique and challenging, the run winds through the headstones in Laurel Hill Cemetery, a beautiful National Historic Landmark, located in the East Falls neighborhood. Participants and spectators alike are encouraged to attend in Halloween attire. Directly following the run, prizes are awarded for the best costume as well as to the winners of the run at an after-party that features food, free beer, and great music. Now in its twelfth year, the run attracts hundreds of regional runners and spectators. In addition to being a good time, the Race is also a very community minded event, connecting runners, local businesses and organizations together through fellowship, fitness and fun!
About Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries, founded in 1836 and 1869 respectively, are integrally related by stories of families and historic events that reveal the growth, struggles, and victories of our nation through extraordinary monumentation and picturesque landscapes. Located across the Schuylkill River from each other, these cemeteries reflect the ever-changing attitude toward death and the evolution of public space. Laurel Hill served as a sanctuary for Spirituality and an important recreational setting, offering families an alternative to mass grave burials at a time when America's rural cemetery movement was being born. A second-generation rural-cemetery movement with more formalized and standard monuments in a park-like setting was evolving by the time West Laurel Hill was established 33 years later. Today, thanks to support from the Friends, our historic 265 acres are now a dynamic and important part of the region's civic purpose.
Through educational programming, public outreach initiatives and research resources, the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries work to preserve and promote the historic character of both our sites. No matter what your interest, our cemeteries have something special for you. If you love history, take one of their fascinating tours. If you enjoy recreation, walk your dog or bike along their paths and enjoy the scenery. There is fun to be had at their annual Gravediggers’ Ball and signature Halloween tours with candlelit paths and costumed actors. Organizing the Rest in Peace 5K since 2009, the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries are thrilled with all of the (temporary) visitors and runners!
Through educational programming, public outreach initiatives and research resources, the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries work to preserve and promote the historic character of both our sites. No matter what your interest, our cemeteries have something special for you. If you love history, take one of their fascinating tours. If you enjoy recreation, walk your dog or bike along their paths and enjoy the scenery. There is fun to be had at their annual Gravediggers’ Ball and signature Halloween tours with candlelit paths and costumed actors. Organizing the Rest in Peace 5K since 2009, the Friends of Laurel Hill & West Laurel Hill Cemeteries are thrilled with all of the (temporary) visitors and runners!
