Red Dress Run 2024 is coming. Here's what to know about the annual fundraiser in scarlet.

It’s never too hot to trot for the participants in the Red Dress Run, an annual beer-fueled, 2-mile jog in the French Quarter that takes place at 10:15 a.m. on the second Saturday in August — which this year is Aug. 10. The average high temperature that day is 86.2 degrees, though it probably feels a bit warmer considering the steam bathlike south Louisiana humidity.

As the name suggests, the athletic, cocktail-fueled event has a dress code. Instead of Spandex running outfits, participants are expected to don breezy, summertime frocks, backless cocktail gowns, tutus and leotard tops, or really any scarlet ensemble that won’t impede their progress through the streets.

You may be surprised to know that the absurdly androgynous activity did not originate in New Orleans. The Hash House Harriers running club is said to have been founded by British runners in Malaysia in 1938. Over the decades, the so-called “drinking club with a running problem” became an international phenomenon, with Hasher chapters staging regular noncompetitive runs across the globe.

In 1988, a woman traveled to San Diego for a?Hash House Harriers run but arrived from the airport just as the starting gun was about to be fired. With no time to change into running clothes, she completed the circuit wearing the red dress she’d arrived in. Thus, a new tongue-in-cheek tradition was born. The run itself may not be competitive, but the hunt for thrift store red dresses, especially in larger men’s sizes, certainly can be.

Based on past years’ attendance, between 2,000 and 3,000 runners are expected Saturday, maybe more. If you are not a member of the Hash House Harriers, the cost to join in the run, at this late date, is $75, which includes entry to a pre- and post-parade party — with beer, food and live music — that takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Crescent Park, 2300 N. Peters St. Profits — $155,000 last year — are donated to dozens of local charities.?

Though the Harriers customarily do not announce the route of runs, based on previous years, the starting line and the finish line will be on North Peters Street near Elysian Fields Avenue in the Marigny. To find the route, spectators should search the Vieux Carre in advance for street closures.