Plan your summer Pickleball Party

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The social part of pickleball is one of the best parts of the game. One of the ways we’ve built comraderie amongst players are to have social get togethers off the court. This translates to better friends, committed players, and nicer interactions when we are back on the courts.

When the weather heats up, it is a great opportunity to host a pickleball party. I’ve taken the experience from our own groups and put them in this article. You can make it as easy as just getting the group together. Or infuse some pickleball-themed fun. Here are pickleball party ideas for your next get-together.

Locate your party location

• A home – a party is great in the backyard or kitchen. A pool party is always fun.
• Your pickleball club – make sure to make reservations with the club. If you choose this option, you could combine it with a social open play. I probably wouldn’t recommend combining with a round robin, since this can be energetically draining or both the host and the players.
• A park – check to see if you need to reserve picnic areas
• A restaurant – see if the restaurant has a private party room and how much it costs
• A clubhouse – Does someone live in an apartement or a community that has a clubhouse? Does your club have one?

Define your party style

Are you wanting a casual, backyard BBQ? Is a classy, ladies lunch with wine and cheese? Is it fun and festive with Pickleball-themed fun with some music? You don’t have to stick to a certain style. You can add some Pickleball themes to any style. Make it reflect your personal preference, your time and budget considerations, and what you feel your guests will love.

Plan your food

For a summer event, I find that the following work well:

• Potluck – everyone has fun bringing a dish and sharing in the prep.
• BBQ – If you have a grill, and are decent at grilling, everyone loves a summer BBQ. Think hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, steak, ribs, corn, veggies or whatever you love to grill. It’s potato salad season.
• Taco bar – this is my personal favorite because I can just prep different meats and cut up the veggies ahead of time. It makes for a beautiful appearance, and pleases everyone. Try hard shell and soft tortillas; lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, onions, taco sauce, shredded chicken, seasoned ground beef or turkey, beans. Also, great for vegetarians, vegans, and those trying to stay healthy.
• Charcuterie on Pickleball paddle shaped boards – Perfect for a classy party of wine and cheese. Why not add a bit of pickleball fun with a charcuterie themed board.

Plan your drinks

Since this is a summer party, think about how you will keep beverges cold. Will you have an ice chest, or ice or is everything close to a refrigerator?

• Water – a must have, bottled or a pitcher.

Pick 3 or 4 of the following. If you are planning both alcoholic an non-alcoholic have a few of both on hand.

• Sparkling water
• Lemonade
• Iced Tea/Sweet Tea
• Sodas – diet and regular
• Juice – 1 or 2 types
• Beer
• Wine – white and red
• Mix a pitcher of a cocktail. Maybe do a pickleball themed cocktail like spiked lemonade, a margarita, or a lemondrop. At least some yellow or lime green straws might be fun. Put the glass on a pickleball cocktail napkin.

Plan your decor

You don’t have to have a lot of decor or fancy things. People are just happy to get together. However, it is fun to throw in a few fun pickleball themed items to add to the festive environment Think about functionality first. Where will you set out food and drinks? Do you need utensils? Napkins? Plates? Cups? Glasses? A Pitcher? How many do you need?

Napkins

Plates

Table Runner

Table cloth – you could just have a white cloth or plastic tablecloth. Maybe consider a yellow or limegreen tablecloth to match pickleballs.

Centerpiece – an easy homemade centerpiece is just to throw in 5 or 6 pickleballs in a bowl or vase. Be creative and think of ways to use pickleballs or old paddles to decorate.

Music and entertainment

Are you planning to play music in the background? Are there speakers where the party is? What about playing a game? It is fine to have nothing as people just want to talk and socialize. However, you could add some background music or a small game if you wish. My personal preference is not to have too much structure so people can just mingle.

Send out invitations

Compile a list of your pickleball friends you would like to invite to your party. Then send out either a digital invitation or mail a paper invitation. Evites or other invitation programs are nice was well.

Here is a digital invitation I created. They are simple and can easily be printed at home, sent out for printing, or edited in Canva to make it your own. If you print it at home, there is a design included that doesn’t take much ink and you can even hand write the main details if you want. Or make it as customized as you want in Canva. They can be mailed or emailed or just handed out at your next game!

Think about what you will wear

• Capri pants
• T – shirt or tank top – maybe one with a fun pickleball saying
• shorts
• A pickleball skirt
• a cute dress

Plan party favors or gifts for your guests

You could do a little raffle and raffle off pickleball gifts. Or do a small gift bag as a takehome. Gifts and favors are totally optional.

Need more gift ideas? Check these out https://comfortleisureandjoy.com/pickleball-gifts-for-parties-and-round-robins

Being social is a key part of being a pickleball player. Planning a pickleball party when the whether is nice, is a great way to bring the players together. That makes for great friends and ultimately great play all year long.