SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Two years ago, Grammy-winning DJ Diplo came up with the idea of throwing a run party where he leads thousands of runners through a city route, then ends the run by performing a set. San Francisco was the first city to experience that and has since spread to numerous cities a cross the country, such as Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. Diplo returned to the founding city of his famed event, "Diplo's Run Club," on Oct. 18 for at least 12,000 attendees at Golden Gate Park early Sunday morning. The run, which was a 3.1-mile route, began at 8:30 a.m. It was followed by a DJ set by Jax Jones before Diplo closed the event with his set around 10:30 a.m. Diplo even brought out Bay Area legend Too $hort for his set. The rapper performed his iconic "Blow The Whistle." Diplo and Too $hort even added an unreleased song to the set. A press release before the event stated the run was expected to draw about 12,000 participants. However, according to Diplo's social media post, "Diplo's Run Club" drew about 15,000 people to the iconic San Francisco park. "the future is uncertain but 15,000 people dancing before lunch in the bay is a good sign ✌️," Diplo wrote in an Instagram caption. Global DJ star to stop in Bay Area for first-ever North American tour Thousands of runners gathered after the run to watch DJ sets by Jax Jones and Diplo at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Oct. 18, 2026.(Photo: Aaron Tolentino/KRON4)(Photo: Aaron Tolentino/KRON4) Bruno Mars co-star drives 1 hour after Bay Area concert to dine at giant chain restaurant SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 8 - Diplo's Run Club on September 8th 2024 at Piers 30-32 in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Ando Caulfield for Drew Altizer Photography) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 8 - Diplo's Run Club on September 8th 2024 at Piers 30-32 in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Ando Caulfield for Drew Altizer Photography) Diplo was previously in San Francisco in February for a Super Bowl LX show at Pier 80, then performed a surprise DJ set at one Mission District restaurant. The 47-year-old musician was also in the city for the Stern Grove Festival in July, as part of electronic dance music and DJ group Major Lazer. The first edition of "Diplo's Run Club" was by the water on the Embarcadero. The event then moved to Golden Gate Park in 2025 and 2026. The next city stop will be in New York on Saturday, Oct. 24. Watch KRON4's report from Golden Gate Park in the video player above. We got a chance to run alongside Diplo himself. ...read more read less