🛋️🏃🏻♂️💨 The legendary event hosted by Tom & Dan is rolling back into Historic Downtown Sanford on Sunday, November 23rd, 2025, from 2–6 PM at Palmetto & 2nd! 🍺 Expect cold beers, wild rides, and plenty of couch-fueled chaos! Who will be the fastest and who will be the crowd favorite? Sunday, November 23rd on Palmetto Ave (at 2nd street), 2 to 6 pm. But please, no coolers our outside drinks. Security and Sanford PD will ask you to throw away. There will be plenty of options for drinks and dining in and around the event site via local Sanford businesses! We also will again be offering our VIP area for just $49 per person. Included in that is complimentary beer/wine/liquor, bathroom access, prime viewing area, and full access to "pit row" along with all of the racing participants. VIP area will be 21 and up this year. You can purchase your tickets in advance via the link here: https://www.facebook.com/share/172WGsfWx4/
Tickets will also be available for purchase the day of the event at the gate for $59, cash only. We are accepting sign-ups for the couch races here: https://www.facebook.com/share/172WGsfWx4/
All updates will be posted on this page as we proceed! Here are the official rules . . . . Coming to Sanford November 23rd, 2025
Rules and Regulations
What the hell is this? Sofas and Suds is a Couch Racing and Beer Chasing event taking place in Sanford, FL on Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 (2-6pm). It will be local businesses pitting their race-outfitted sofas against one another to determine who is really the best at pushing a sofa up and down the street . . . or who is the worst but yet the crowd favorite. Duh. Who is participating in the races? We are encouraging small businesses in (but not necessarily limited to) Sanford to field a couch-racing team and enter. You will be entered into a bracket-style (16 teams) single-elimination race format to determine couch-pushing supremacy. Why should we enter? Well, besides all of the glory? Winning business gets possession of the Champions trophy (see photos on page) for half of the duration of their reign to show off to their customers. The Champions Trophy will represent both the crowd favorite Couch Team and the actual winning racers. Severe bragging rights go along with that. Also, it will be a huge team-building exercise as your staff comes together to “compete” with one of your neighbors. Is there an entry fee? Yes. Yes there is. To offset costs and ensure teams show up, we ask them for an entry fee. We are shooting for having exactly 16 teams enter (and show up) for this event. Having all 16 teams signed-up and paid in advance allows us to get set up a little better in advance. But, more importantly, it allows us to run the races according to a 16 team single elimination bracket, which makes the event run so much smoother. . . which is more enjoyable to the event-goers who come out, as well as the participants! We are asking for $225 per team, which includes six (five for the team, one for a “coach”) VIP wristbands (a $294 value) for your team. VIP gets you beer, wine, liquor, and bathroom access during the race. So really, it’s a free event if you enjoy some beverages! (Any other friends or family who wish to hang out with you guys must purchase a VIP wristband. No exceptions!) VIP this year is 21+, also no exceptions!. Also included with your entry fee will be several mentions of your business on all advertising platforms we will be using this year. Your business will also be featured prominently that day during the event! How do we enter? https://www.facebook.com/share/172WGsfWx4/
(Check out the rules/registration for the recliner division, no cap on number of teams!)
Upon check in on the day of, you will be asked to sign a disclaimer waiving the organizers of any liability for any mishaps that may happen (sorry for the buzzkill, but no-one has been (seriously) injured as of yet!). What does a Team consist of? A team consists of 5 persons, with at least one person on the sofa at all times. The team of five is permanent throughout the event, which means NO SUBSTITUTIONS! Unfortunately this is necessary to keep things fair. By allowing any substitutions at all opens up a large number of ways for teams to bend the rules for their advantage, and thus, making the event less fun for all. You may race with less than the starting five if necessary, as long as one person is always on the sofa at all times. What about the Sofa? Well, we suggest you start to keep a lookout for a couch that could potentially take you to the top. It could be that old pleather thing in the den that you have thought of getting rid of. It could be that plaid one on the curb you just drove by today. It might be the one that’s on Craigslist right now for free! As for the regulations, well we will keep it simple:
1. Couch must be at least 70 inches in length (original outer armrest to original outer armrest). This is to prevent anyone from taking a short-cut and rolling up in a loveseat. Your sofa will be subject to measuring at check –in. Also, the width must be original factory width and cannot be altered. The cushions need to be in place, because it has to look like, and be, a couch! Oh, no wicker sofas, no day beds, no pieces of a sofa, and . . . NO FUTONS!!!!! If you show up with anything less than a full-size and legitimate sofa, you will be allowed to race, but in the event that you win that race, the other team can ask that you be disqualified (as long as their sofa is legit of course!). This rule has to be enforced, if you have any doubts about your sofa, please message us ahead of time.
2. SAFETY! Please always consider safety, both for yourself and your opponents in mind when designing your racing vehicle. Please avoid any and all sharp edges. Any and all protruding parts must be padded, if not avoided all-together. Always try to avoid collisions with the other teams to minimize the chances to cause injury.
3. Your couch must stay 100% human powered. No sort of engines, drive-trains, or assistance other than caffeine or alcohol will be allowed (we don’t drug test, yet). This is serious and the playing field must stay even. It’s also a safety issue . . . someone getting hit by an errant sofa at 9mph is a lot better than someone getting hit at 19 mph . . . These things we just already know.
4. We recommend a trip to the hardware store right away to start getting some ideas. Also, we learned from past experiences, that wheels that inflate, swivel, and have treads are a HUGE plus (what with the brick streets and all). Also, anticipate needing to make some basic repairs if you continue to advance. Hint: Zip ties were worth gold at past races! Also, hit the YouTubes and watch previous years races.
5. There will be TWO spots on the Champions trophy up for grabs: The first of course is for the event champion/fastest couch! The other one will be for Crowd favorite team which will be decided by a very scientific voting process . . . crowd applause. So winning the attendees over from the get-go is a wise idea. The Crowd Favorite Team and the Fastest Team split possession of the Champions Trophy until the next Sofas and Suds.
6. PLEASE! No political statements are to be made during this event. This event was brought to Sanford to unify our town, not further divide. We appreciate your adherence to this new rule and ask that you do not make us kick you out of the event!
7. No physical contact is to be made against the opposing team. Allowing for contact between teams is a huge can of worms that has to be sealed back up. That goes for projectiles of any sort directed toward the opposing team and squirt guns.
8. The team of five must have at least one person riding on the couch at all times. Any forward progress without a team member on the couch will be negated. Also, ALL FIVE team members must cross the finish line for your team to have finished. If someone is left behind, your race isn't over until the last team member crosses the line! What if I have more questions? Good Question! Check the page first at /sofasandsuds to see if it can be answered there. Otherwise, email Mike Smith at [email protected] with your questions and we will get back to you right away. Registration for Sofas & Suds 2025
Business Name:____________________________________
Team Captain:_____________________________________
Racer 2:____________________________________________
Racer 3:____________________________________________
Racer 4:____________________________________________
Racer 5:____________________________________________
Captain Phone Number:__________________________
Email Address:____________________________________
Sofas and Suds Rules and Regulations
Recliner Division! November 23rd, 2025
We know it can be challenging to outfit a sofa for racing, as well as find 4 other people as crazy as yourself, in order to enter the main event. . . so we wanted to do something a little more approachable for those of you who, for whatever reason, couldn’t register this year. Allow us to introduce again . . . . recliner races. The goal for this segment is to have a little less rules and a little more fun. So, here are the rules that we have so far. . .
1. Two person teams. One pushing, one riding, at all times.
2. Recliners must be REAL recliners . . . meaning factory frame, padding, and upholstery. It must have at least two modes: upright and recline modes.
3. Rider and pusher MUST switch roles at some point (TBD) in the race. Racers start with recliner in upright mode, and then upon switching roles, must finish race in recliner mode.
4. We aren’t sure how many entries we are going to have, so therefore are not really sure about the format just yet . . . basically, be ready for anything!
5. Both team members must be 21+ and will have to sign a liability waiver the day of races. Both racers MUST wear helmets.
6. If you win the race and another team points out you broke any of these rules, judges will decide whether to uphold or deny your win based on evidence presented. Entry fee to race in this division is $80, less than the cost of the two teamates VIP wristbands ($98). This entitles you to all the benefits of the VIP area such as complimentary beer, wine, liquor, as well as access to bathrooms. You must still register in advance so that we can prepare for your arrival and give your team business the proper acknowledgements. To register, submit this form along with cash or check (made out to Mike Smith) and deliver to The Current Seafood Counter during normal operating hours. Located inside Henrys Depot at 212 W. 1st Street in Sanford! Business Name:__________________________________
Team member:___________________________________
Team member:___________________________________
Team Captain Phone Number:__________________
