First Holywood Mini Pickleball Festival a Great Success
- Andy Stout
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
The Glastonbury Festival might be slightly bigger, but yesterday’s inaugural Holywood Mini Pickleball Festival was also a resounding success, sold out almost as quickly as Glasto did, and still had a waiting list of people wanting to get in. And with 32 players continually shuttling on and off the three courts at Queens Leisure Complex, it probably felt as busy as the Worthy Farm main field at times too.
With most club members more used to playing 90-minute sessions, three hours represented a lot of pickleball. But reports from the courts were that they were still enthusiastically dinking, volleying, and trying to smash the ball over (rather than into) the net, even as the clock ticked over to three. And with players waiting to come back on hugely appreciative of the action in front of them and plenty of animated conversations taking place, the craic was as much a part of the day as the pickleball itself.
Helen writes: We had sign-ins facilitated by Clare B and Oli, Megan and Oli then took the warm-up in the hall. Games were set up in two groups, A and B, lasting the traditional 8 minutes per game.
We had a break halfway through the event where we enjoyed a fab spread supplied by Holywood Wine Bar: sandwiches, a fruit platter, and some amazing tray bakes!
A shout out to Demelza who also helped set up the refreshments. As well as the food being delicious, it was a nice opportunity to chat to other players. We had some great rallies and great skills displayed on the court, and we concluded with some more snacks at the end. All in all, it was a lovely afternoon filled with good games, good food, and great company!
Like Glastonbury itself, we even managed to attract a visiting American player! Chris G was put onto the event via the Belfast PBC. "Thanks very much for including me, I had a great time!" he messaged us afterward. "The festival was well organized and everyone was very friendly and made sure to make me feel welcome. The refreshments and break were a nice touch. It was such a treat to connect with the global PB community and a wonderful introduction to NI pickleball, Thank you!"
We’ve put some photos and videos of the event below. But for now thank you to all the players who took part in Picklefest 25, the volunteers that made it happen, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next special event we stage. Watch this space! And don’t forget we’re back this evening for Monday Night Rec Play once more.
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