Phoenix Idiotarod celebrates 20 wild years

Shopping Cart Chaos Returns to Downtown Phoenix for 20th Idiotarod

If you thought the WM Phoenix Open was the wildest event hitting the Valley this weekend, you clearly have not heard of the Phoenix Idiotarod.

On Saturday, February 7, teams of five costumed competitors will descend on Margaret T. Hance Park to push elaborately decorated shopping carts through the streets of downtown Phoenix in what can only be described as a glorious collision of bar crawl, performance art, and organized lunacy.

Now in its 20th year, the Phoenix Idiotarod is organized by the Arizona Cacophony Society and lives proudly in the space between competition and chaos. Teams race along a loosely defined route through Roosevelt Row, stopping at local bars to complete absurd challenges along the way. Speed is irrelevant. Nobody is racing to finish first. The only real objective is committing fully to the madness.

The entry fee remains a remarkably affordable $50 per team, which breaks down to just $10 per person. The event is capped at 36 teams, so spots go fast. This year's race benefits Circle The City, a Phoenix-based organization providing healthcare to individuals experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County.

The event's organizers have steered challenges toward more creative territory this year, moving away from shock value in favor of inventive absurdity. That said, the spirit remains anything goes. The unofficial motto could easily be that the only rule is there are no rules.

Even if pushing a shopping cart through downtown is not your thing, spectators are welcome to follow the action between bar stops. Organizers say the start at noon is the best part since it is the only moment when all the costumed mayhem is gathered in one place.

In a Valley full of polished events, the Idiotarod is a refreshingly unhinged reminder that Phoenix knows how to have weird, wonderful fun.

Sources: Phoenix New Times | AZ Cacophony Society | Givebutter | Wikipedia | Meetup