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Now that there’s a themed 5K for just about everything, offering you the chance to get covered in brightly colored powder, drink beer while you jog, or leap over fire and crawl under barbed wire, it only makes sense event organizers are branching out into other interactive events that can tour the nation. Particularly ones for those of us who aren’t exactly the athletic type.
The latest one, Slide The City, essentially brings a water park to your hometown. It takes that beloved summertime game — running and bellyflopping down a plastic mat, AKA Slip ‘N Slide — and turns it into The Event of the Weekend. Instead of that paper-thin plastic sheet you grew up with (you know, the kind where you feel every rock and hole underneath it), Slide The City uses a 1,000-foot-long vinyl mat, and you ride in an inner tube all the way down, so there’s no scraping your knees as you dive onto the “slide.”
This massive slide is divided into three lanes: One for single riders, one for families, and one called “party,” for those “craving a more wild ride.” I’m not entirely sure what that entails, but I’m intrigued.
The event also features live music and other entertainment, effectively becoming one massive block party. Tickets prices vary, based on when you sign up — an early bird ticket for a single rider costs $10, but it creeps up to $20 if you try to buy one at the door — and a portion of the proceeds are donated to a local charity at each city visited.
You can see a full list of the cities Slide The City is taking over (and when they’ll be there) on the brand’s website. Upcoming locations include Tulsa, Richmond, Atlanta, New Haven and St. Louis.
Fun fact: Sack Lunch Productions, Slide The City’s parent company, also creates another event we’ve featured on LBW — Lantern Fest. #TheMoreYouKnow, right?