Kinetic Grand Championship
The “Triathlon of the Art World”
Pictured: Reigning 2025 Grand Champions “FLYtLESS”
Photo by Tracy Rempe
Memorial Day Weekend - May 23rd - 25th, 2026
Newsletter Signup
Are you ready to enter the spotlight and claim your place in Kinetic Royalty? Don your most glittery and outrageous attire, summon your inner eccentric, and join us for a night of pure Rutabaga glory at the 2024 Rutabaga Ball!
Kinetic Universe is looking for a poster artist, aged 6-17, for the 2024 Kinetic Classic.
Support Kinetic Universe and get some awesome member perks. Your monthly contribution supports Kinetic Universe's existing programming, including the Kinetic Grand Championship, the Kinetic Classic, and the Rutabaga Ball, and provides the reliable income we need in order to grow.
The ultimate list of mostly accurate race results you’ll find anywhere on the site! Can you help fill in the gaps? See something wrong with the data listed here? Send Jen-O an email and let her know.
It is all systems go and we are diligently working on preparations. While we cannot control all circumstances associated with COVID, we are seeking guidance from public health professionals on the best way to host the race responsibly.
A summary of Kinetic Universe's board activities, committee work and financial health in 2021, plus goals for 2022*
*AKA the business that is done in order to spread maximum glory.
Kinetic Universe was formed as an organization to sponsor the Kinetic Grand Championship race. It takes the monumental effort of many people to bring this beloved signature event to fruition. It also takes money, which has proven to be increasingly difficult to raise…
Congratulations to 2021 PACE Champions, Royal Pain and Friends. Click here to watch the complete program, and find out all the other winners.
In 2020, confronted by global pandemic, the Kinetic Sculpture Race’s Glorious Chicken retreated into its egg. Inspired by this courageous act of self-imposed isolation, Kinetic Universe produced the “Shelter in Place” E.G.G. Challenge: The Grand Exalted Golden Gallus Egg Drop competition.
Sir Queen Robotica, the Kinetic Museum's Archivist (and reigning Rutabaga Queen), explains all things Kinetic in this installment of the Community Access Project of Eureka's (CAPE) Community Conversations series.
Kinetic Sculpture in Place is a virtual event adaptation of the Kinetic Grand Championship. This year, we will be producing the Race as a one-day, televised competition, broadcast on Access Humboldt and the Kinetic Universe YouTube channel. There are new challenges that keep the spirit of the Kinetic Grand Championship alive, and have something for everyone.
For the first time ever, we’re asking for volunteers who can help our teams prepare their videos. Do you have the patience of a saint and the video production skills of a YouTube content creator? We have racers and participants who are desperate for your help.
What IS Kinetic Sculpture Racing?
A local tradition since 1969, the Kinetic Race is no parade! In the Kinetic Grand Championship bodies of art and artist's bodies are put to the test. There's 50 miles to go, over land, sand, water, and mud. These intrepid Kinetinauts are a unique breed of human. With a heart full of joy and a bucket full of tools, they face innumerable obstacles for just one reason ... For the GLORY!
Founded by metal sculptor Hobart Brown in 1969, this North Coast tradition has grown from a two block dash down Main Street Ferndale to a 3 day marathon spanning over 40 miles of Humboldt County California’s towns, beaches, trails, and Rivers every Memorial Day Weekend.
We’re slowly digitizing our backlog of VHS, Betacam, and 16mm video.
Do you have historical footage you’d like us to digitize? Send us an email at info@kineticuniverse.org.
Kinetics through the decades…
Racers
Build your team. Make your vehicle. Create your art. Perform your Pageantry. Try to ACE. Don’t flip over in the bay. Don’t flip over in the sand. Get to Halvorsen Park before 6:32. Repair the drivetrain. Carry a toothbrush. Remember to smile at the Glorious Spectators.
And above all: Have fun!
Go here for rules, registration, and information regarding the upcoming race.
Spectators
We’ve got lots of great spots to view our race, from the Arcata Plaza at noon on Saturday to the Eureka Waterfront on Sunday to the Finish Line on historic Ferndale
’s Main Street.
Please follow the instructions from course officials and don’t impede the racers. Also, it’s poor form to directly ask for one, but if you’re nice to the racers, they are very likely to give you a lovely bribe!
Volunteers
The Race runs because of the legion of volunteers who work astonishingly hard to bring Glory to everyone. From directing traffic to working the merchandise tables to monitoring racers for hyperthermia and dehydration, volunteers are the heroes of this event.
Volunteering is a great way to work closely with a fantastic group of people and get up close with your favorite racers — and maybe even boss them around a little bit!
Glorious Sponsors
Kinetic Universe is a non-profit, all volunteer organization. The Kinetic Grand Championship is an expensive race. All that is to say: we couldn’t do any of it without our GLORIOUS SPONSORS!
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
