The Bern’s big race days were started almost forty years ago by youth club pioneersf. Since then, the organisations making up the Bern youth club association (DOK)have organised an annual soapbox race on the Klösterlistutz in Bern, a steep street that starts at the bear pit and descends to the River Aare.
The sixty to ninety soapboxes are built at home or at one of the association’s organisations (DOK). Only teams are admitted to the race; individual contestants are not allowed. The race days take place on the first weekend after the spring holidays and last three days: on Friday, the soapboxes are tested for suitability. On Saturday, training rides take place. On Sunday, it gets serious: in front of large crowds, the children speed down the 500-metre-long straw-bale lined racetrack in three runs. In a closing ceremony, cakes are awarded as prizes, and a certificate and a T-shirt are distributed to all participants.
The soapbox race is now as much a part of Bern as the River Aare, and is an annual highlight in spring, with entire neighbourhoods turning out on the race weekend. For a weekend, the Klösterlistutz turns into a colourful racetrack and a fairground. Bern’s big race days are as thrilling a spectacle for the families of the children participating, especially their younger brothers and sisters, as they are for former participants, passers-by, tourists and loyal fans. Even when it rains, there is a festive atmosphere. Since 2014, the race has been financed by the “Grosse Berner Renntage” support association and the DOK association.
