A volunteer passion project. This site is designed and maintained solely by volunteers. It is not an official publication of the American Cancer Society. Questions about the site? Please contact the volunteer team.
Global Relay Track
Relay For Life happens on six continents, run by 37 partner organisations. This online home is by Relayers, for Relayers: the people who plan it, walk it, and light the way.
It is always Relay somewhere
What time is it? Time to join Relay.
Relay For Life is a team event that lasts through the night, because cancer never sleeps. Teams take turns on a track while a whole community celebrates, remembers, and raises money to fight cancer. Every Relay in the world is built on the same three words.
The first lap belongs to cancer survivors. We cheer for every one of them, and for the caregivers who walk beside them.
02When it gets dark, the track lights up with luminaria. Each one carries a name.
03Every lap raises money and awareness for research, patient support, and prevention in your own country.
Photos: Marsha Daniel-Joseph (Trinidad & Tobago) and Chola Bweupe (Zambia), Global Heroes of Hope; Relais pour la Vie, Fondation Cancer (Luxembourg), photo by Mari-Liis Haliik.
Relay For Life began in the United States in 1985, when one doctor walked and ran for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Today national cancer organisations around the world run their own Relays, each in their own language and their own way. See the countries where Relay happens.
Local times update live. If your country has a card, that card has a gold edge and shows your own local time.
Three minutes from the 2024 Global Relay For Life recap.
Coming up
The new class is announced, one Hero at a time, in the community groups.
Next: November 2026 Second Saturday of JanuaryRelay First LapWalk one lap wherever you are, alone or with your team, and post it with #RelayFirstLap.
Next: 9 January 2027 4 FebruaryWorld Cancer DayThe one day every cancer organisation in the world speaks at once. A good day for a Relay to be seen.
Next: 4 February 2027 First Sunday of JuneCancer Survivors DayA free photo frame carrying the logos of Relay partners around the world, for survivors to share.
Next: 6 June 2027 SeptemberGlobal Heroes of Hope nominationsCancer organisations nominate the Relayers who did extraordinary work this year.
Next: September 2027Everything here was built by volunteers for the global Relay family. Use it for your own event, your team, your school, or your company. No sign-up, no cost.
A sponsor letter, a welcome email for new captains, a press release, and a kickoff agenda, ready to copy.
Open the templatesPlan ✉️Answer a few questions and get a ready-to-send letter for a school, a company, or a community group.
Build a letterRecruit 🧠A new quiz every month in four languages. Play it at your event or share it with your team.
Take the quizLearn 🎵Music written for the track: for the opening lap, the quiet hours, and the finish.
ListenSound 📝A short guide for survivors, caregivers, and team captains who want to speak or write about why they Relay.
Read the guideVoice 🌊Make a marbled purple-and-gold background with your finger. A calm way to make a beautiful post.
Make onePlayAfter dark, every Relay in the world does the same thing. The lights go off, and paper bags with candles inside light the whole track. Each bag carries a name: someone we lost, someone still fighting, someone who made it through. In some countries they are called luminaria. In others, candle bags. The silence is the same everywhere.
In the middle of the night the track is quiet and the walkers are tired. That is the part of Relay that matters most, because cancer does not stop when it gets hard. There are three things you can give, and none of them requires you to walk all night.
Join a team at a Relay near you, or start one. Most people who Relay walked their first lap because a friend asked them.
Find your RelaySend this page to one person who has never heard of Relay. On the track, one more person is always welcome.
Every Relay raises money for the cancer organisation in its own country. Give where you live, and it works where you live.
How giving worksWriting about Relay For Life? The media page has the facts, the history, the logos, and who to contact.
At every Relay, the sun comes up on people who stayed all night for someone they love. That is the whole idea: cancer is a long night, and nobody should walk it alone. This site grows every month, so come back, or start with the stories.
