Dozens of teams brought gravity-powered creativity to Mt. Tabor Park on Saturday.
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The Bridge City Bandits team flies down the track, ahead of the other two competitors at the 2026 Adult Soapbox Derby at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 15, 2026. The soapbox derby had 42 different teams, with each made of two or three riders, and at least one person to push the soapbox at the start of the race.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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Food trucks and stands line one of the roads in Mt. Tabor Park, offering food, drinks and sweet treats to attendees.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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Barbara Moynier, left, records the Bridge City Bandits soapbox derby team as they careen down the track.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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The Volcanica soapbox teams flies by attendees, being first in its race.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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A rider from the Vampires soapbox team waves to the crowd on the back of the medical services ATV after crashing into hay bales on the side of the track.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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The Warn Industries soapbox wins its race, flying across the finish line.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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The Cornell Pump soapbox team careens down the track, being second in their race.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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A rider on the Team Dragon soapbox car waves to the crowd going into turn 10 on the course at the 2026 Adult Soapbox Derby at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 15, 2026. The soapbox derby had 42 different teams, with each made of two or three riders, and at least one person to push the soapbox at the start of the race.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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The Nike Design soapbox team rolls across the finish line with speed, finishing in second.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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A soapbox derby team flies by a large part of the crowd.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
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The Tanson Brothers Racing soapbox derby team flies down the track as Angie Telford, left, and Cavan Telford, right cheer for the teams going by.
Saj Sundaram / OPB
Portland’s Mt. Tabor Park was the scene of arts, crafts and a little bit of chaos Saturday for the annual PDX Adult Soapbox Derby. Thousands lined the extinct volcanic butte to watch elaborate vehicles from 42 teams compete in one of the city’s more unusual races. Each team fielded two or three riders and at least one pusher to get their soapbox moving.
Small, motorless carts, some built for speed and others for style, flew past spectators, powered only by gravity and makeshift steering wheels. Some racers reached speeds of up to 50 mph.
Competitors risked life and limb hauling their engineering marvels through a looping track lined with large Douglas fir trees, bright-orange cones and miniature hay bales. Prizes included “crowd favorite,” “road warrior” and “lame duck.”
Inspired by an illegal punk-filled dash held in San Francisco in the ’90s, and by youth races popularized in the 20th century, Portland’s soapbox derby has taken place in some shape or form for nearly 30 years. It is funded by donations and sponsors, and staffed by a small army of volunteers.
The 2026 soapbox cars included prairie schooners, oversized shopping carts, a giant Nike ankle sock and more.
