London Marathon Events has invested in Friday Night Lights, the innovative fusion of social running, music and celebration described as the UK’s healthiest night out.
Friday Night Lights was founded in 2023 with its first event taking place in Battersea Park, London. The team now organises events in London, Brighton, Liverpool, Manchester, and Southsea in Portsmouth. Tens of thousands of participants have come together to pick up healthier habits, transform their weekend and to enjoy the community that Friday Night Lights has built.
The same team is also the crew behind sister brand Run Social, a UK-wide running community hosting free weekly runs every Wednesday.
Hugh Brasher, CEO of LME, said: “The team behind Friday Night Lights and Run Social has created a unique and wonderful running and social experience which is hugely popular with people aged 18 to 34. We love the way the team is inspiring so many young people to enjoy being active and inspiring activity is at the centre of everything we do. We hope our investment, and the support from the LME team, will enable the Friday Night Lights team to grow these unique events and community. We know we will also learn from their approach and together we will inspire more young people to enjoy Friday Night Lights, Run Social and our mass participation events.”
Charlie, from the Friday Night Lights founding team, said: “We’re very excited about this investment from London Marathon Events. We’d been approached by others, but LME felt so right for us. Hugh believes in what we’re doing and encourages us to be creative and do more. It’s all about how LME can support our work and help us to grow and build our community.”
Friday Night Lights is working on a summer festival series which offers big runs, adventure and entertainment to create an overall running experience with future festivals planned across the UK.
The investment in Friday Night Lights is the latest step in LME’s growth and expansion programme. Over the past two years LME, which was founded in 1981, has acquired the Brighton Marathon Weekend and the GetPRO Bath Half Marathon. It has expanded into Wales through its partnership with Run 4 Wales and into trail running through its acquisition of a majority share of Maverick Events. Most recently, it added mass participation events in Scotland to its portfolio through the acquisition of Caledonian Concepts and Loch Ness Marathon Ltd, the organisers of the Loch Ness Marathon, Etape Loch Ness, Inverness Half Marathon and other events in Inverness and the Loch Ness area. Internationally, LME is now consultant to the EDP Lisbon Marathon.
In April 2024, together with UK Athletics and Great Run Company, LME set up Athletic Ventures, a ground-breaking joint venture created to transform the future and growth of athletics in the UK from playground to podium and to deliver major athletics events, including the annual Diamond League meeting in London and the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
LME has also invested in Coopah: The Run Coaching App, which provides personalised training plans for runners of all abilities over any distance.