Dozens of teams spend weeks preparing their beds to race in this two-part competition. The first part is about the party. Each year has a theme, and in 2023 it was “Through the Years”. Many teams either did a “Music Through the Years” theme while several teams went with the movie “Back to the Future”, with their beds decorated as DeLorean time machines. The party consists of the best-decorated bed, the best tailgate food, and other similar trophies to collect. You might not be able to build a functional race bed, but your BBQ may be the best in town.

The decorated floats make their way around the course for the fans to see with their entourage throwing candy and swag into the stands for the spectators. They head back outside to strip down to their race configuration for the second part, the race competition.

Broken into two divisions: Recreation and Competitive, the teams, made up of a driver and four pushers, bring their bed in and race head-to-head with one another. The best two times in each division meet at the end for a race-off for the championship.

Some teams take this rather seriously, others understand they are just here for the fun. But regardless, it’s a load of fun. And everyone cheers for the “Cone eater”, an unofficial category for the bed that takes out the most cones.