New Year's Day 2027 Races and First Day Hikes Shirts

New Year's Day 2027 falls on a Friday, and two kinds of events fill it: First Day Hikes at state parks across the country and local New Year's Day road races, many of them called a Hangover Classic or Resolution Run. Both draw groups, clubs, and families who want a matching shirt, and both come right after the busiest shipping weeks of the year. This guide lists the events with published 2027 details and covers what a print shop can and cannot put on the shirts.

First Day Hikes 2027

First Day Hikes is a national program of America's State Parks, run by the National Association of State Park Directors. It started at Blue Hills Reservation in Massachusetts in 1992 and went nationwide in 2012. According to America's State Parks, more than 73,000 people hiked about 150,000 miles on Jan. 1, 2026, at events in more than 1,000 parks. As of Nov. 8, 2026 the national site invites people to join next year but has not posted a 2027 event list.

Some states have started posting. Texas Parks and Wildlife already lists Jan. 1, 2027 events, including:

Texas had a record First Day Hikes turnout in 2026, with 181 events at 86 sites, according to America's State Parks. Most hikes are free or cost only the normal park entrance fee, and many are guided by rangers or Friends groups.

Who orders shirts

• Hiking clubs and Friends groups. A matching shirt for the group photo at the trailhead.
• Families who make it a yearly tradition and want "First Hike of 2027" shirts.
• Scout troops and school clubs earning outdoor hours.
• Park volunteers who lead hikes and need to be easy to spot.

The trademark note

"FIRST DAY HIKES" is a registered trademark of the National Association of State Park Directors (Reg. No. 5,600,299), according to trademark records on Justia. The registration covers promoting organized hikes, not clothing, and the word "hikes" is disclaimed. Even so, a shop selling shirts branded "First Day Hikes" to the public could suggest an official connection. Individual state park logos belong to the state agencies. The safe approach is to print the customer's own group name with a phrase like "First Hike of 2027" or "New Year, New Trail," and to ask the park or its Friends group before using any park logo. This is general information, not legal advice.

New Year's Day 2027 races

These races have published 2027 registration pages on RunSignup, checked Nov. 8, 2026. All are on Friday, Jan. 1, 2027.

The Westfield race has no race-day registration. The Seattle race includes an optional plunge into the lake, and the Salisbury race adds a plunge too, so those orders overlap with our Polar Plunge 2027 guide.

Who orders shirts

• Running clubs that turn a local New Year's race into a team outing.
• Office and family teams with a "resolution" theme.
• Race crews and volunteers who need visible shirts on a cold morning.
• Plunge teams that want a costume-style shirt for the photo.

The race names belong to their organizers. Print a club's or team's own name with generic phrases like "New Year's Day 5K Crew" or "Resolution Run Team," and do not copy a race's logo or medal art without the organizer's permission. Our turkey trot shirt guide covers the same approach for holiday races.

Print notes for Jan. 1 orders

Order before Christmas. Most of these orders have to ship in the last two weeks of December. Use the cutoffs in our holiday shipping deadlines guide, and remember many suppliers close between Christmas and New Year's. Long sleeves and performance blanks. January mornings are cold, so long-sleeve tees and quarter-zips sell well. On polyester performance shirts, press DTF at a lower temperature to avoid dye migration; see the DTF temperature and time chart and our Sport-Tek ST350 guide. Plan for wet and muddy. Trail and plunge shirts get soaked. DTF transfers handle washing well when pressed correctly, and the heat press settings for blends guide covers the common mistakes. Design once, sell all year. A "First Hike of 2027" or sunrise graphic can be reused for spring trail events. Our Spartan Race and Tough Mudder 2027 guide and the January and February 2027 race calendar list the next wave of team orders.

Frequently asked questions

When are the 2027 First Day Hikes?

First Day Hikes take place on New Year's Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, at state parks across the U.S. America's State Parks had not posted a national 2027 list as of Nov. 8, 2026, but some states, including Texas, have already posted individual Jan. 1 hikes on their park calendars.

Are First Day Hikes free?

Most are free or cost only the usual park entrance fee. For example, Texas Parks and Wildlife lists its Caddo Lake guided hike as free with park admission, which is $4 for visitors 13 and older. Check each state park's calendar for its own fee and registration rules.

Can I print "First Day Hikes" on a shirt?

"FIRST DAY HIKES" is a registered trademark of the National Association of State Park Directors. Its registration covers promoting organized hikes, not clothing, but selling branded shirts could imply an official tie. A safer choice is the group's own name with a generic phrase like "First Hike of 2027."

What New Year's Day races are there in 2027?

Races with published 2027 pages include the Resolution Run 5K in Seattle, the Hangover 5K in Westfield, N.J., the Hangover Classic 5K and 10K in Salisbury, Mass., the Hangover Classic 5 Miler in Bristol, R.I., and New Year's Day 5Ks in Charlotte, N.C., and Yorktown, Va.

More holiday and race guides

For the night before, see our New Year's Eve 2027 shirt ideas. The same morning also brings the 138th Rose Parade, and Texas shops can find local transfer suppliers on the Texas suppliers page.