What is a push cart? Pushcarts are those homemade carts that can be seen all across Jamaica. They are used as a moving restaurant (vendors who sell food etc), to transport items (mainly merchandise to the market, but some are used as moving trucks) or as a racing cart (similar to North America soap box) in Push cart derbys held across the island. Push-carting began as a grassroots sport and has become a very popular event.

The Kaiser’s Sports Club is the venue for the finals of the annual Push Cart Derby in August. Many of the owners of these homemade carts compete for cash prizes and trophies. Some of these carts are very sophisticated and have been clocked at 60 miles per hour on a downhill homestretch.

The pushcart derby in Jamaica is credited for the inspiration to start a Jamaican Bobsleigh team. Two American businessmen who attended the Jamaican Push Cart Derby were so impressed by the skills of the participants that it inspired them to negotiate the formation of a Jamaican Bobsleigh team with the Jamaican government and the prospective participants.