Soapbox Derby! A Parade! Pinewood Racers & More!

Saturday August 23  3–9 pm

CHANGE OF VENUE
We are now on Harvey Hill at Dix Park
(where the first Kirby Derbys at Dix Park happened)
 

Event Registration Coming Soon!

Want to help make it happen?
Sign up to Volunteer! 

Make a PineCar
Racer

*KIDS EVENT!* Bring a handheld mini Pinecar and race it on the official wooden track. Pinecars have specific size and weight requirements and start from a block of wood. You can buy starter kits at most craft shops and on amazon.

Mini Pinecars Info & Pics

Jump to PineCar Registration

Be in
the Parade

*EVENT FOR ALL* You know you’ve always wanted to be in a parade! Get your friends, family or whole community involved and make your artistic statement of Games People Play for this non-motorized procession.

Parade – get all the details

Jump to Parade Registration

Enter the
Soapbox Derby

*ADULTS ONLY* (but everyone has fun watching!) THE Soapbox Derby Race of Raleigh! Build a car and race down the track against another competitor. Multiple heats whittle down to the winners for fastest, most creative, and people’s choice! Limited spots available. Registration is essential.

All the Derby Details & Pics

Jump to Soapbox Derby Registration

Enjoy the
Spectacle!

Kirby Derby is an annual day of awesomeness – a time-honored tradition in Raleigh since 2002. There is a theme each year, and people create costumes, parade entries and soapbox derby cars to participate in a quirky day of friendly competition and silliness. Even the spectators can dress up and make a statement!

Every year since 2002, residents, friends and curious Raleighites don costumes and line the street to watch the annual event. Handbuilt, gravity-powered cars disguised as everything from sharks to cake slices barrel downhill to the tune of cheering neighbors, all racing for the Kirby Cup. Some cars wipe out early on; others are surprisingly fast.

WALTER Magazine

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE FOLKS BEHIND THE SCENES FOR MAKING KIRBY DERBY AWESOME

PULLEN PARK TERRACE

(neighborhood that creates Kirby Derby)

City of Raleigh
Trophy Brewing Co
Ponysaurus Brewing
Many creations are there less to race than to be seen, eye-catching spectacles that draw oohs and ahhs from fans as they amble past. …the Kirby Derby is a huge showcase of creativity; it’s a celebration of community.

“All aspects of it are good-spirited,” says Pullen Park resident Danielle Teed. “It’s just an event full of family and fun, run by people who are very passionate about it.”WALTER Magazine