Red Bull Soapbox Race 2024
What is the Red Bull Soapbox Race?
The legendary Red Bull Soapbox Race returned to the UK for the first time since 2022, as thousands of spectators watched 59 teams hurtle down London’s iconic Alexandra Palace’s 420-metre course.
This year’s judging panel was made up of Red Bull athlete and freestyle skier, Kirsty Muir; former The Traitors contestant and BMX star, Matt Harris; professional mountain bike rider, Jono Jones and fitness and lifestyle creator Esme Gummer.
For the first time, the Red Bull Soapbox Race schedule included a Creators Race, broadcast live on Red Bull’s YouTube Channel, with four teams led by Bambino Becky and PieFace, The Fellas (Calfreezy and Burnt Chip), ItalianBach & ArthurTV, and Kon.
Participants were judged on creativity, speed and showmanship, with each team taking on four notable features of the Red Bull Soapbox Race track, including: ‘The AA Water Jump’, ‘The Wedge’, ‘The Bone Rattler’, and ‘The Kicker’, as well as being soaked by a foam cannon.
Stage One: The Brief
Creation Group hired us to provide immersive entertainment and bring their characters to life at the Forbes VIP Area at the Red Bull Soapbox Race 2024
They had decided on a “modern steampunk aesthetic” but with a “cyber twist”. To achieve this they required 5 immersive character actors to add an element of theatre and narration to the day. The actors would to play the roles of a security character, a boss character and 3 factory worker characters whose job it was to run workshop activities within the activation.
Set in the year 2135, The concept was that the Forbes VIP Area was transformed into the ‘SoapWorks Junkyard’. Home to a secret collective of rag tag engineers, mechanics, and dreamers who’s goal was to put together the best soapbox racer in the galaxy.
In general the Red Bull Soapbox Race is mainly aimed at adults but was requested that it remained family friendly as the ratio was expected to be around 80% adults to 20% children – so it needed to be appealing and fun for all age ranges.
Stage Two: The Characters
We were provided with a backstory for each of the five characters of the SoapWorks Junkyard.
Percival Pyrax, security guard and corporate enforcer – A dedicated security guard for the Interstellar Corporation, known for his unwavering commitment and meticulous nature. Raised with a deep sense of duty, Percival’s strict adherence to protocols has made him a trusted enforcer. Determined to stop the rebellion, Percival tirelessly patrols and investigates, ensuring nothing escapes his notice. His precision and dedication make him a formidable adversary, willing to do whatever it takes to protect the Corporation’s interests and maintain order in the chaotic universe.
Dr. Magnus Quirk, rebel leader of the SoapWorks Junkyard – This eccentric and brilliant leader showed early mechanical prowess and a rebellious spirit. After earning his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the Titan Institute of Technology, he turned away from corporate oppression to champion creative freedom. Magnus’s innovative vision has made the Junkyard a hub of resistance and ingenuity. Known for his unorthodox methods and collaborative spirit, he inspires his team to push technological boundaries.
Quentin Nebulon, visionary designer and rebel Innovator – A brilliantly nerdy designer for the rebellion, known for their meticulous attention to detail and innovative spirit. Always seen with large round glasses and a lab coat over their overalls, Quentin embodies the quintessential space geek. Their workspace, filled with blueprints and prototypes, reflects their passion for astro-engineering and industrial design. Dedicated to their craft and the fight against the oppressive Interstellar Corporation, Quentin Nebulon is a pivotal figure in the quest for freedom, constantly seeking new solutions to drive the rebellion forward.
Kael Volt, master fabricator and defector – Once a loyal agent of the Interstellar Corporation, now serves as a master fabricator and double agent for the SoapWorks Junkyard. Born into a family with deep ties to the Corporation, Kael’s exceptional talent for fabrication was honed in their elite training programs. Their expertise in crafting advanced machinery made them a rising star within the oppressive regime. However, witnessing the Corporation’s ruthless practices and exploitation of resources stirred a moral awakening in Kael. Disillusioned, they covertly sought out the rebels and offered his skills to the Galactic Junkyard. Now, Kael uses their insider knowledge and fabrication prowess to build cutting-edge race cars and technology that challenge corporate dominance.
Lila Ramires, talented artist and expert forger – A gifted painter and expert forger, Lila Ramires uses her artistic talents to combat the oppressive Interstellar Corporation. Growing up in a culturally rich colony, Lila’s exceptional ability to replicate artwork brought her early acclaim. Her life changed dramatically when the Corporation abducted her family, seeking to exploit her skills. Driven by grief and a thirst for justice, Lila escaped and joined the Galactic Junkyard. There, she refined her talents in forgery and deception, creating counterfeit documents and falsifying blueprints to aid the rebels.
Stage Three: Bringing the characters to life
With only a character backstory and accompanying graphic novel style headshots to work with we set about bringing the characters of the SoapWorks Junkyard to life.
Percival Pyrax – complete with futuristic shades, long black leather trench coat and boots we brought his ‘corporate enforcer’ personality to life; checking guests IDs and tickets at the Junkyard entrance as well as running through the galactic laws around soapboxes.
Dr. Magnus Quirk – wearing his pink jumpsuit and leather accessories such as gloves, belt, boots, etc his look was topped off with a brown hat and steampunk goggles. We added a few extra pieces such as pipes, chains, spanners, as well as a few bandages and feathers to adds a few more elements to the costume however the decision was made to not to include his horns in the final costume fitting.
Quentin Nebulon – This character was played by a female actor in the end as we leaned more into the gender fluid traits of the character. Complete with a white lab coat, white shirt, and glasses, we also added a vintage style bow tie too for a splash of colour and added detail. This actor was in charge of running the ‘design your own Soapbox’ activation.
Kael Volt – With her blue jumpsuit, goggles and orange accessories such as kneepads/ elbow pads, gloves, and arm band we also included a few extra pieces such as a tool belt, chains/ pipes, and a flask just to add a few more elements to the costume. This actor was in charge of running the ‘build your own Soapbox prototype’ activation.
Lila Ramires – complete with pink fluffy jacket, tank top cargo pants, goggles and boots. This actor was in charge of running the ‘decorate your own hat’ activation.
Stage four: The Decor
Creation Group decorated the venue with corrugated metal walls, covered in graffiti and paint splatters. To really create the junkyard vibe they scattered signs, workshop tools and piles of tires around the venue – the tires cleverly hid coloured lighting and smoke machines. The colour scheme was pink, which adorned the walls and accompanying decorations.
A comfy seating area was provided for the building activation, Blueprints and soapbox designs covered the walls at the design activation, and a hat hanging wall was provided at the decorating activation.
Stage five: Activations
As well as remaining in character and telling the story of the SoapWorks Junkyard. Three of the characters also ran interactive activations throughout the day.
The ‘design your own Soapbox’ activation was run by Quentin Nebulon. Here guests were provided with pens and blueprints so they could design their very own Soapbox racer. The designs were then collected and a winner will be selected to be made in real life for the 2025 RedBull Soapbox Race.
The ‘build your own Soapbox prototype’ activation was run by Kael Volt. Working in conjunction with the ‘design your own soapbox’ activation, guests were provided with Meccano so that they could build a model of their Soapbox prototype.
The ‘decorate your own hat’ activation was run by Lila Ramires. Guests were provided with free baseball caps with the RedBull Soapbox logo embroidered into them, along with a selection of paints so that they could decorate their hat as they saw fit.
“Thank you so much for all your hard work. You really brought the characters to life and the actors’ dedication to the roles and attention to detail was excellent.”
– SAM DOUGAN
Creation Group, Entertainment Manager
If you are planning an event which has custom created characters that need bringing to life, please use our Contact page to drop us a message and see how we can turn your vision into a reality.