Ubon Launches Wellness City Initiative With Sunrise Run Festival
Ubon Ratchathani launched its "Ubon Thrives" wellness city initiative with a two-day festival in July 2026, featuring a sunrise run that attracted over 1,000 participants along the Mun River and combining exercise, disease prevention, and c
The Health Promotion Foundation (HPF) joined forces with Ubon Ratchathani province and over 10 partner organizations to announce the success of the "Ubon Thrives" wellness city model through the Iconic RUN Fest 2026: RUN UBON festival held July 11-12, 2026. The event drew overwhelming support from residents, runners, and tourists nationwide, with over 1,000 participants joining the signature dawn run along the Mun River. The initiative showcases collaborative efforts across all sectors to advance the "wellness city" concept through exercise, chronic disease prevention, healthy food development, urban design, and leveraging Ubon's cultural heritage for long-term quality of life improvement.
The two-day festival officially opened on July 11 at Central Plaza Ubon with remarks from provincial officials, HPF leadership, and representatives from government, private sector, academia, and community organizations. The campaign launched a comprehensive wellness city development framework linking the lifestyles of people across all age groups through physical activity, non-communicable disease prevention, healthy food innovation, urban design, and cultural development.
Throughout the day, experts from public health, urban design, fitness, and contemporary development led seminars, alongside activities including food mapping to promote low-sodium local dishes, wellness area demonstrations, and community engagement programs that drew large crowds.
The evening of July 11 featured a cultural dance opening the city to "Ubon Thrives," followed by a City Run where participants carried a symbolic marker and planted a Global Digital Mark in the historic Ubon district, formally launching the initiative.
On the morning of July 12, the riverside promenade transformed into a national health landmark as the Iconic RUN Fest opened its Race Village at 4:00 a.m. Over 1,000 runners from across Thailand started the 10-kilometer race at 5:00 a.m. in a sunrise run through historic Ubon, welcomed by cheering residents along the route. The event demonstrated the community's collective commitment to establishing Ubon as a thriving wellness city.
