The Red Bull Box Cart Race will return to Sandton Drive in Johannesburg on Sunday, 4 October 2026, IOL reported. Entry to the event is free.
Teams of up to five people have built their own carts from scratch. The carts have no engines, batteries or catapults and run on gravity alone. Each cart must have working steering and brakes.
Before each run, teams perform a short skit at the start line. A driver and a co-driver then race the cart down a course with jumps and obstacles.
One of the teams is Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu, a group of final-year Mechanical Engineering students from UCT. Their cart has a delivery theme, and the team calls it “our final delivery”.
“First and foremost, we want to win,” the students said. About their skit, they said: “We’ve put a lot of thought into it, and we think we’re going to absolutely kill it.”
Another team, Noma Yini, is named after township car guards. The team describes its cart as “Creative. Kasi. Unpredictable.”
A panel of judges scores every run on speed, creativity and showmanship. According to IOL, past judges and hosts have included rally driver Giniel de Villiers, rapper Nasty C and Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. Courtnaé Paul and comedian Dalin Oliver have also taken part.
The reigning champions are Potjie Boytjies from Stellenbosch. They won the last South African race in Cape Town with a cart shaped like a potjie pot on wheels.
That race was held in 2022 on the steep, cobbled streets of Bo-Kaap. More than 22,000 people came to watch.
Johannesburg last hosted the race on Sandton Drive in 2018. That year, 80 teams took part in front of thousands of spectators.
The first South African race took place in Durban in 2004, when Team Flower Power won. The event has also been held in Soweto and Cape Town. IOL said South Africa is the only African country to have hosted the race, and this will be the eighth local edition.
The race started in Brussels in 2000. It has since run more than 160 editions in 53 countries and drawn over five million spectators. This year’s calendar also includes Belfast, London, Denver and Los Angeles.
Stands and seating areas will be set up along the course. IOL advised visitors to arrive early, because the spots near the jumps fill up fast. It also suggested bringing a hat, sunscreen and water.
Full or partial road closures will affect Sandton Drive, Grayston Drive, Alice Lane and 5th Street between 29 September and 7 October. The race will take place at 11 Sandton Drive, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Entertainment. Image: IOL Entertainment. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.