Experience unlocked: Aussie pop-up racing into KC in early 2019 with Mushroom Rally

Mushroom Rally — a real life Mario Kart race experience with roots in Australia — is expected to swerve into the Kansas City scene in early 2019, said James Harrison.

“[Mushroom Rally] will hit 16 cities [next year], with Kansas City being one of them,” said Harrison, a race organizer for the experience pop-up. “We think the demographics of Kansas City will work well for our event, as there are young families and 30-somethings that grew up playing the original game.”

The pop-up experience — unaffiliated with Nintendo or any other brand — is expected to involve 600 participants in go karts across multiple races in each city, he said, noting each winner is given the opportunity to compete in the grand finale in Las Vegas.

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Kansas City tickets are expected to become available in the coming weeks at $55 each, he added, with the location for the race yet to be announced.

“We do try to keep most of the locations a secret to create some mystery and excitement,” said Harrison. “We can tell you that our races are held on a closed, themed race track and not on the streets.”

Participants will be provided with choice of Mario Kart-character costumes that double as safety wear, he said, noting specific height and weight requirements are necessary for juniors and adults.

Ticket buyers able to collect enough “stars” during games available on race days will get the chance to compete in the Las Vegas final race, said Harrison.

Each participant is also automatically entered into a lottery to race in the final, he added.

With the Mushroom Rally originating in Melbourne in 2017, the event skyrocketed across other Australian cities, said Harrison, noting the pop-up’s success in England throughout 2018 made the founding team set the U.S. — and Kansas City — in their sights.

“One of our directors really hopes he has time to visit the Jazz Museum while we are there [in KC,]” he added.