Soapbox Race
Red Bull Box Cart Race Returns to Joburg in 2026
Homemade speed machines, zero engines and maximum chaos: Red Bull Box Cart Race is back on Sandton Drive on 27 September 2026 – and entries are open now for South Africa’s most unhinged creators.
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On 27 September 2026, Sandton Drive will swap commuter traffic for something a lot less sensible: hand‑built, engine‑free “vehicles” that have absolutely no business hurtling down a hill.
Red Bull Box Cart Race is coming back to Johannesburg, and Mzansi’s most creative, most reckless and most gloriously unqualified engineers are officially invited to be on the start line.
This isn’t your average race day. It’s a high‑speed mash‑up of costume party, live theatre, DIY engineering and pure downhill chaos – with a crowd lining the barriers, waiting for that one cart that either sticks the landing… or wipes out in unforgettable style.
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What is Red Bull Box Cart Race, exactly?
If you’ve never seen it in action, here’s the deal. Teams of up to five people design and build a cart from scratch. There are no engines. No batteries. No sneaky boosters. Gravity is the only power source. Each team performs a short skit at the start line to win over the judges and the crowd. Then their driver launches down a custom-built course packed with jumps, obstacles and the constant threat of glorious failure.
Speed helps, but it’s not just about who’s fastest. Judges score teams on three things: creativity, showmanship and time. That means the most ridiculous, story‑driven concepts often end up on the podium.
The result? A full day of mayhem where a “serious” race car might get beaten by a flying potjie pot, a massive boerewors roll or a rolling spaceship held together with cable ties and hope.
Johannesburg last hosted the race on Sandton Drive in 2018, when 80 teams sent it in front of thousands of spectators. The 2026 edition aims to go even bigger.
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Why the world can’t get enough of this chaos
Red Bull Box Cart Race (known as Red Bull Soapbox Race in other countries) first rolled out in Brussels in 2000 with a simple mission:
Build something ridiculous. Point it downhill. Hope for the best.
Twenty‑six years and more than 160 editions later, that simple idea has become a global phenomenon. Over five million people have watched the madness live across 53 countries, from iconic city hills to coastal descents and historic neighbourhoods.
Recent editions in the US have pulled in record crowds – with over 35,000 people packing into the Iowa State Capitol grounds in Des Moines alone – while online highlight reels rack up millions of views as the internet argues over which run was the boldest (or the most spectacular fail).
The 2026 global calendar is already stacking up, with confirmed stops in cities like Belfast, London, Denver and Los Angeles.
And now, once again, Sandton Drive will join that list.
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South Africa’s love affair with Box Carts
South Africa is still the only African country to host Red Bull Box Cart Race, and the local chapters have built a seriously entertaining legacy.
2004 – Durban: The first South African edition, won by Team Flower Power, set the tone: big on personality, bigger on questionable engineering.
Since then: The race has taken over Johannesburg, Soweto, Sandton and, more recently, the steep cobblestoned streets of Bo‑Kaap in Cape Town.
Cape Town 2022 & 2024: Both Bo‑Kaap editions drew more than 22,000 spectators each, lining the brightly coloured streets to watch carts bounce, slide and occasionally soar.
The current kings of the hill? The Potjie Boytjies from Stellenbosch – back‑to‑back Cape Town champions with a potjie pot on wheels, a rolling tribute to South Africa’s melting pot of cultures. Their success is proof of one thing: the best concepts tell a story nobody saw coming.
Over the years, judges and hosts have included familiar South African names from motorsport, music, cricket, dance and comedy – all there for one reason: to see what wild idea rolls out of the build workshops of Mzansi next.
The 2026 race will be Joburg’s return to the Box Cart grid and the eighth South African edition overall.
Think you’ve got what it takes to build a winner?
If you’ve ever watched a Box Cart clip and thought “We could do something crazier than that”, this is your moment.
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How to enter
- Apply as a team of up to five people
- Submit your cart concept and team details via the online form
- Convince the judges that your design is wild, creative and entertaining enough to deserve a place on Sandton Drive
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The rules (yes, there are a few)
- No engines. None. No petrol, no electric, no sneaky hidden motors.
- No external launch systems. No catapults, winches or bungee cords. Gravity only.
- You need steering and brakes. The hill is steep, the obstacles are real and your friends will be watching. Your driver must be able to turn and stop.
- Size limits apply. Maximum dimensions will be provided in the full rules – read them before you start welding.
- Creativity is everything. Beyond those basics, the only limit is your imagination (and maybe your budget).
Applications close Friday, 10 July 2026 at 23:59. Don’t leave your masterpiece as a sketch on a napkin.
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Come race – or just come watch
Red Bull Box Cart Race Johannesburg 2026 takes place on Sunday, 27 September 2026 on Sandton Drive, and the entire event is free for spectators. Even if you’re not building a cart, this is one of the most entertaining days you can have on a city street: big crowds, bigger crashes (the safe kind), close calls, surprise heroes and the kind of ideas that could only have been dreamed up in South Africa. More details on the full event schedule, participating teams and judges will drop closer to race day.
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