Wacky Races is a hands-on corporate team-building activity in which colleagues tackle a series of challenges, build and decorate soap box karts, then come together for a race finale. It is a practical option for Irish company away days where the brief calls for creative problem-solving, friendly competition and something people can take part in rather than watch on a screen.
At Event Square, Wacky Races (also known as Soap Box Derby) is offered as an approximately three-hour programme. The published format includes six to eight team challenges, the kart-building finale and prize giving. The final running order depends on the group, venue and safe operating space.
What actually happens at a corporate Wacky Races event?
The appeal is that a good race needs more than one fast person. People who would not normally volunteer for a physical challenge can contribute to the design, communication, planning, decoration and organisation of their kart. The event builds towards one visible shared moment: the starting line.
Event Square’s format has three connected phases:
- Earn your place: teams rotate through a series of short practical challenges. Different tasks reward different strengths, so the same colleagues are not necessarily leading every round.
- Build and personalise the kart: teams decide how to organise the available construction and decoration tasks, working within the event brief and equipment provided.
- Race and celebrate: teams assemble for the supervised finale. The running format, course and participation roles are agreed for the actual site. The event closes with results and prize giving.
It is a team challenge with a race ending, not a public-road motorsport activity or an invitation to build uninspected vehicles. The setup and final race are managed within the organiser’s agreed event format.
Why choose a build-and-race challenge instead of another corporate activity?
Many teams want an event with an obvious beginning, middle and end. Wacky Races gives participants a reason to cooperate on something tangible and offers a finale that colleagues can watch together. There is room for imagination and humour without needing a screen, leaderboard app or specialist knowledge.
The format is particularly worth considering when your objectives are to bring together colleagues from different departments, break up a conference programme, give graduates or newer employees shared tasks, or create a memorable outdoor summer activity. It is also useful for mixed working styles: one person may spot the best approach to a puzzle, another may coordinate resources and somebody else may communicate the plan clearly.
That said, it is not a substitute for a facilitated leadership-development programme. If you need formal reflection on individual behaviours and team roles, an experience such as The Belbin Experience may be a better match. The strongest event choice starts with your objective, not the most eye-catching photograph.
How much space does a soap box derby need?
Space and ground conditions are the first things to check. A venue that can host a meeting of 100 people is not automatically suitable for a kart race. The activity needs space for the challenges, a separate working area for the karts, the race layout, spectators and clear movement around the site. A race surface needs to be assessed for suitability; a lawn that works for a summer BBQ may not be right for a wheeled finale after rain.
Before fixing a venue, Event Square would want to understand the proposed activity area rather than relying on a room-capacity figure. The relevant checks include:
- Surface and slope: is there a suitably firm, controllable route and appropriate stopping space?
- Access: how can equipment reach the setup area, and where will vehicles load and unload?
- Separation: can the build area, race area, people watching and passing pedestrians be kept apart?
- Permissions: has the venue approved the activity and any equipment, barriers or protective measures needed?
- Weather: what would happen if the surface becomes slippery or waterlogged?
- Accessibility: how will people with different mobility requirements reach the activity and take part in meaningful roles?
For corporate organisers comparing places around Dublin and the wider Leinster region, start with a property that already has genuinely usable external event space. For example, The Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge is among the venues on Event Square’s website with outdoor areas considered for team activities. That is a starting point for a site discussion, not confirmation that any particular race layout has been approved there.
Can Wacky Races be brought to an office or hotel?
Event Square operates mobile activities across Ireland, but mobile does not mean every activity can be run in every room or car park. Wacky Races is best treated as an outdoor or otherwise specifically approved event-space brief. For a hotel conference, we would check the proposed race space as carefully as the meeting room. A city-centre office with no usable outdoor ground may be a better fit for a different format.
If your team has a restricted footprint, look at Big Picture for a collaborative indoor project or Krypton Factor Challenge for team puzzles and varied tasks. If your venue has plenty of outdoor space but you would rather avoid a kart finale, Old School Sports Day is another option.
A practical three-hour Wacky Races running order
The times below are an illustrative planning example, not a guaranteed timetable. The number and length of challenge rotations will be set around your participants, team count, equipment and venue.
| Timing | Suggested activity | What the organiser should allow for |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00–00:15 | Welcome, team allocation and safety briefing | Arrival, toilets, group movement and explanations |
| 00:15–01:30 | Rotating team challenges | Six to eight activity zones, adapted to the group and rotation plan |
| 01:30–02:10 | Kart construction and decoration | Work areas, materials, team roles and checks |
| 02:10–02:45 | Finale race | Agreed course, marshalling, watching space and orderly team rotations |
| 02:45–03:00 | Results, prizes and close | Team photo opportunity and onward movement |
A race at the end of a corporate day sounds straightforward until 120 people need to move from a conference room, collect their belongings, find the activity lawn and re-enter the hotel for dinner. Build that transition into the event schedule. If lunch, a speech or a meeting overruns, do not assume the finale can simply be compressed.
How do you make a competitive activity inclusive?
Not everybody wants to race a kart, and nobody should be pushed into a task they cannot undertake comfortably. The solution is to design for several meaningful jobs within every team: organising the build, solving puzzles, managing the team’s time, decorating the kart, communicating instructions and supporting the finale.
Ask about mobility, accessibility, health considerations and language needs during planning, without requiring colleagues to disclose personal details to the wider group. A clear briefing, predictable running order and a straightforward opt-out from physical participation help participants decide how to engage. A competitive event can still be a welcoming event; those two things are not mutually exclusive.
Competition also needs the right tone. If your people are a newly merged team or colleagues returning from a difficult restructuring, aggressive scoring may be the wrong choice. Facilitators can shape the emphasis around cooperation and a shared finish, but the event brief must be honest about whether the group wants high-energy racing or a gentler social day.
What happens if the Irish weather changes?
Irish outdoor events require a weather decision, not a hopeful assumption that the rain will pass. Short showers and unsafe ground conditions are different problems. Organisers should agree in advance who makes the go/no-go call, when a site will be assessed, and what alternative activity or scheduling change is acceptable if the race cannot proceed as planned.
Do not promise a kart race on wet grass or suggest that every hotel ballroom is a suitable indoor substitute. The correct fallback depends on the surface and space available, the provider’s operating requirements and the nature of the group. A suitable indoor collaborative challenge may be a better contingency than trying to recreate a wheeled race in an unsuitable room.
For a broader look at outdoor event planning, see our guide to outdoor team building in Ireland.
What should you ask for in a Wacky Races quotation?
Start with the group size, date, location and whether there is a suitable venue already in mind. Say if the activity forms part of a full day, an awards afternoon or a residential conference. The eventual proposal should make the operational assumptions visible, including:
- The number of participants and team rotations to be accommodated.
- Duration and the proposed activity format.
- Space, ground conditions, race configuration and venue approvals.
- Staffing, setup access and equipment arrangements.
- Accessibility needs and the agreed weather contingency.
- Whether venue hire, catering, drinks, transport or other services are separate.
Event Square’s published Wacky Races description includes event planning, venue-sourcing support, an approximately three-hour programme and prize giving. Food, beverages and transport are not included as standard. A quote must still be tailored to the final brief; online guide prices are not a promise of a fixed all-inclusive event price.
Wacky Races or Old School Sports Day: which should you book?
Choose Wacky Races when you want a clear build-and-race story, creativity alongside challenges, and one major finale. Choose Old School Sports Day when you want traditional races, mixed activity stations and potentially more informal movement between activities. For a conference where all participants must remain indoors, ask about one of Event Square’s collaboration and problem-solving experiences instead.
Neither option is automatically “best” for every group. An event that matches the venue and the people is far more valuable than a format that looks exciting but is impractical on the day.
Frequently asked questions about Wacky Races team building
Is Wacky Races the same as a corporate soap box derby?
Yes. Event Square currently calls the experience Wacky Races, and the activity page uses the established Soap Box Derby URL. The format brings together team challenges, kart construction and a supervised race finale.
How long does the event last?
Event Square’s published programme is approximately three hours. The detailed running order is confirmed for the group, location and final activity plan.
Does everyone have to race?
No. Teams can share planning, design, challenge, construction and support roles. Individual participation and any accessibility adaptations should be discussed before the event.
Can it be organised in Dublin, Wicklow or Kildare?
Event Square delivers mobile events across Ireland, including Leinster locations. Wacky Races still requires a specifically suitable venue and a safe, agreed race area; regional coverage does not guarantee suitability at every property.
Can we run it indoors?
Do not assume so. The kart-racing element needs an appropriate, approved layout and surface. If you only have an indoor conference room, ask Event Square to recommend a format designed for that space.
What if rain makes the ground unsuitable?
The organiser and venue should agree how suitability is assessed and what contingency applies before the event. A different team challenge or revised schedule may be more appropriate than attempting the race.
Are venue hire and catering included?
Not as standard. Event Square’s product information lists venue-sourcing support and event planning, with food, beverages and transport normally quoted separately.
How far in advance should we enquire?
Once you have a likely date, approximate numbers and location, it is worth checking feasibility. Larger groups or venues needing a dedicated race layout generally require more planning than a simple meeting-room activity; no date should be treated as available until confirmed.
Plan Wacky Races with Event Square
If you are organising a corporate away day in Ireland, explore the Wacky Races experience and send Event Square your date, location, group size and event goals. Tell us whether you already have a venue and whether the event needs to fit between meetings, lunch and dinner. We can then recommend a sensible activity plan—or advise when a different experience would suit your space better.
