The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace UK

The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace. Seeing the soapbox racers were something that had always been on our bucket list of things to do. So when we found out that the red bull soap box race was coming to the UK and more specifically to Alexandra Palace we knew we had to visit the downhill course. The question was, would the extreme downhill battle be suitable for a three-year-old?

The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace

Getting There & Getting In – The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace 

Driving & Parking

Charlie loves travelling on the train but to be honest if there is an option to drive then we will. Having checked out where Alexandra Palace is and the fact they have a carpark for 1500 cars we were relatively confident if we arrived early we would get a space. Now tickets are purchased via Ticket Master, and the tickets clearly say there is no parking. Which it transpires there is not! We got very lucky indeed parking just down from the Palace on a side road. Thankfully with it being a Sunday parking permits were not in operation. I would not recommend this! However, if you want to give it a go then we arrived around 9.45, it opened at 10.30.

Trains 

There were a number of people walking up from the station (Woods Green) and it looked as though there was some parking towards the town. But as we didn’t need to venture towards it I can not promise. The drawback of getting the train with little ones is the queues on the way out. They were controlling the number of people on the stations when we left (and we left early). I guess if you are local and know the area then it really isn’t a problem. I think if we go again we would still probably drive but build in extra time to find side street parking again.

Walking from the train station

It’s a fair walk from the bottom of the race track (next to Alexandra Palace Train Station) to the entrance which is actually up by the palace. The website says it’s 10 minutes with a little one it’s nearer 20, and there is a steep hill at the end. Hubby was less than impressed since Monkey was on his shoulders at this point. It caught a fair number of people out who were taking a break on the way up.

I feel sorry for those with pushchairs! They allowed pushchairs in and I was pleasantly surprised by the number that were there. They however do not allow chairs in – so do not bring them with you as they will take them away as you enter. Incidentally, they do not allow glass bottles including medicine (we carry piriton as a matter of course due to allergies) either.

We had to wait 10 minutes or so to get into the ground as we had arrived prior to 10.30, the queuing was sensible and well managed.

Amenities at The Redbull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace 

As we were near the beginning of the queue (it attracts 20,000 people) we pretty much had the pick of where we were going to set up. We had brought a blanket which proved useful as the weather was a little temperamental and it also meant we could reserve our own space as such, as it does get very crowded. We all know how little ones like to spread out.

Deciding where to sit

Never having been before we opted to go near the start to watch the motor-less mayhem. Firstly it’s on a hill which means it gave a better vantage point for being able to see. We also wondered if a number of the cars may fail at the first obstacle which was just down from the start – “The Piston’. As we were near the top we were close to all the food places. Whereas towards the bottom at the finish line are a lot more of the drinking venues. Plus it’s reasonably close to the pit lane if you want to go and check out the crews of enterprising amateur racers before they head down the track.

Surprisingly not as many as we thought failed at the beginning. I think Hubby would secretly have liked to go towards the end of the race, but with a little one, I think we were probably in the best position.

Loos, Flags & Sponsors 

There were plenty of toilets and they weren’t too bad. I also liked the fact that they were handing out little flags to the kids. There were also people walking between the crowds when we first arrived offering face painting. With Monkey’s eczema we didn’t take them up on it, not sure of the price – kind of got the impression it may have been free and linked to the photo booth. There was a handful of sponsors placed around the garden, next time we would probably visit these a bit earlier as they were giving out foam hands, by the time we realised they had all been given out. Monkey was a little disappointed until we found the ice cream truck.

There was also a photo booth, where people were getting all dressed up and pulling funny faces, we didn’t give it a go so can’t pass comments but it looked good fun.

Food

There were several different food options. On the tickets, it says that you will not be allowed in with excessive food. Not sure what exactly excessive is. We took a few snacks and enough for Monkey planning on getting ourselves something there. We ended up with Burritos which were very nice, but two chicken ones plus two soft drinks cost £18. So it was not cheap. There was a stand selling chips with various toppings, a stone-baked pizza place and a burger stand. Several coffee places and somewhere to buy alcohol. Picnics seemed to be a popular option for those with families and I think we would probably take enough for all of us next time. There was also an ice cream van which went down well!!

The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace – The Race itself

There were 67 soapboxes in total although we didn’t get to stay till the end of the international event. We left around car 57 as Charlie was getting bored of the wacky homemade soapbox vehicles. But initially, he was really interested and to give them credit there was not a long wait between go-karts. As we were on the hill we were in front of a screen so it meant that we could easily see the shenanigans that went on when a new kart pulled up. Each courageous crews had a short 20-second performance routine before the daredevil drivers headed off. My favourite was the Hungry Caterpillar one, Charlie loved Olaf (there’s a surprise) and Hubby the SteamPunk Mechanical Bull – which was very impressive as it actually released steam all the way down.

I was shocked by just how much work had gone into some of them. Some other notable ones included The Wonka Factory, Turtle Heads, The A-Team and the Lego cart. It was definitely exhilarating watching the amateur drivers pile into the hay bales that lined the perilous courses.

The best bits

Overall it was a great day out, definitely one of the best events of the Summer. The soapboxes were brilliant, Charlie enjoyed himself. It is definitely doable with a 3-year-old. I would probably not want to go with a toddler. As it gets crowded so they can’t go off and explore like they always want to do. We would stand in the same spot. Leaving slightly before the end worked for us. I appreciate people don’t like leaving before the end of an event but 20,000 people heading back out would have been a bit much. Plus it’s a reasonably long day without a nap!

Things we would do differently

I would take something to keep him amused in the breaks. Busy bags or similar and we would take more food and drink. I would also try to get around all the cars in the pit area, which we didn’t manage.

We will definitely be back in the future to see the legendary red bull soapbox race and the crazy handmade contraptions.

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