The Red Bull Box Cart Race is returning to Sandton Drive on Sunday, October 4, 2026. This free event in Johannesburg has much known about it: from road closures and viewing spots to the teams, the carts themselves, and inevitable accidents.
Homemade carts, costumes, high jumps, and major crashes—this is what awaits spectators when the Red Bull Box Cart Race returns to Johannesburg on October 4. Viewing the event is completely free. The race does not use engines or batteries, and once a cart leaves the edge, there is no chance of survival.
On Sunday, October 4, Sandton Drive becomes the arena for the Red Bull Box Cart Race, offering Johannesburg residents a chance to see the most unqualified engineering in Mzansi. Teams, numbering up to five people, build their carts from scratch. Before the start, they present a short sketch, and then the driver and co-pilot speed down the track, which is littered with obstacles and jumps. Entry to the event is free.
Below is a complete overview of everything you need to know about this event:
The best places to watch are where the carts pass through the jumps, as they move very fast. It is recommended to bring a hat, sunscreen, and water, and to plan to stay for the entire event.
The last race in South Africa in 2022 took place on the steep cobbled streets of Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, attracting over 22,000 spectators. Cape Town set a high bar, and now Johannesburg's turn is coming.
Each cart is decorated according to the imagination of the workshop that might have been born at two in the morning, and teams usually choose corresponding outfits. Spectators can expect to see costumes, full looks, and machines assembled on hope and duct tape. Part of the fun is choosing a favorite even before the start.
The history began in Durban in 2004, when the Flower Power team won the first South African edition. Since then, the race has visited Johannesburg, Soweto, Sandton, and Cape Town.
Each cart is assembled manually from scratch and moves solely by gravity. Motors, batteries, or catapults are absent. Only the steering and brakes work, as the slope does not forgive mistakes. Each team consists of up to five people, including the driver and co-pilot.
The Red Bull Box Cart Race returns to Sandton Drive on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Here is what you need to know about the free event in Johannesburg, including road closures, viewing spots, teams, carts, and inevitable accidents.
Entry to the race does not require payment. Tickets, cash registers, and any other fees are absent. Since grandstands and seating areas are provided along the track, there will be a place for everyone. Spectators are advised to find their spot and settle in.
The race started in Brussels in 2000 with a simple idea: build something ridiculous, send it down a slope, and hope for the best. In over 160 editions, it has attracted more than five million spectators in 53 countries. This year, Sandton Drive is included in the events calendar alongside Belfast, London, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Every race needs fans, and this year the participants offer a choice between neighborhood energy and engineering smarts. Choose your side and lose your voice (see sections N and Q).
Imagination is the only real limit. The fastest cart doesn't always win; the winner might be the one that tells an unexpected story.
A panel of judges evaluates each run based on criteria of speed, creativity, and spectacle. Past judges and hosts have included rally driver Giniel de Villiers, rapper Nasty C, cricket team player Kagiso Rabada, Courtnaé Paul, and comedian Dalin Oliver. To win their favor, one must complete half the slope.
Bring the children. It is a free day out on the hill, and watching a homemade cart lose a wheel during a jump is exactly what turns children into future engineers.
This is a sport that is inherently a spectacle for spectators. The crowd is part of the show; teams draw energy from the noise, and every jump sounds louder thanks to the support of thousands of people.
South Africa remains the only African country to host the Red Bull Box Cart Race, and this is already the eighth edition. The event is proud and absurd.
Named after local neighborhood guards, the Noma Yini team is always 'on the move, planning, and finding a way to make it happen.' They returned for fun and for something more.
The Sandton Drive track is a descent littered with jumps and obstacles designed to separate the brave from the cautious, with several proudly South African surprises. What exactly is there? You have to be on the hill to find out.
The current champions from Stellenbosch won the Cape Town leg with a cart made from a sweat kettle, which is a reference to South Africa's cultural blend. The standard has been set, and now the title is up for grabs again on Sandton Drive.
This is how the phrase Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu is said—a final-year mechanical engineering students' team from UCT implementing their last crazy project before graduation. Their delivery-themed cart is 'our last delivery,' and they came not just to participate. They stated: 'First of all, we want to win.'
The Red Bull Box Cart Race returns to Sandton Drive on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Here is what you need to know about the free event in Johannesburg, including road closures, viewing spots, teams, carts, and inevitable accidents.
The following roads will be partially or fully closed from September 29 to October 7: Sandton Dr, Grayston Dr, Alice Ln, and 5th St. More detailed information about the full road closure can be found on redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-box-cart-race-south-africa.
Johannesburg hosted the race on Sandton Drive in 2018, when 80 teams lined up before thousands of spectators. Eight years later, the carts will be on the same stretch of road again.
Before a single wheel spins, each team performs a sketch at the starting line to impress the judges and the public. The Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu team is confident in the success of its performance: 'We thought a lot about it, and we believe we will perform brilliantly.'
The Noma Yini team describes its cart as 'Creative. Local. Unpredictable.' The last word covers the whole day. Some carts fly, others fall apart at the first jump. No one, including the teams themselves, knows what will happen until it happens.
The Red Bull compilation on YouTube featuring the most incredible runs garnered 21 million views within months of its release. Spectators are encouraged to film videos on their phones and tag the best moments with the hashtag #RedBullBoxCartRace.
Gravity always wins. Wheels fall off, steering fails, and sometimes the cart disassembles itself in slow motion while the driver clings to life. No one remembers the smooth runs; everyone remembers the crashes.
The venue is 11 Sandton Drive, Johannesburg. Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026. Current event information can be found at redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-box-cart-race-south-africa.
Gather friends and a colleague who claims they can build the best cart. This day is best spent in company.
Zero engines. Zero entry fee. Zero guarantees that anyone will reach the finish line intact.
