Pickleballooza tourney set for Beban Park courts in Nanaimo

Second annual pickleball tournament competitive, but casual at same time

Pickleballooza tourney set for Beban Park courts in Nanaimo Published 1:00 pm Friday, July 17, 2026 Sports courts in Nanaimo are expected to be packed with pickleballers and paddles for a tournament in August. Pickleballooza is set to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the pickleball facility at Beban Park, and while players will be going head-to-head and medals handed out, Jessica Marley, tournament organizer, said the atmosphere will be more casual than competitive “My husband plays and he was looking for me to do a tournament where it was friendly,” said Marley.

“I get a lot of feedback from players, especially women, that are just very grateful that it’s not as competitive ... They feel a little intimidated entering other tournaments, and so I think for me it was just, ‘Come out and enjoy the sport.’” There will be men’s, women’s and mixed divisions and beginner and seasoned players in a round robin format.

Space is limited and Marley said the Beban Park courts are prime for pickleball. “I had people reaching out to me saying, ‘Oh, you should host at our courts,’ and I’m like, ‘How many do you have?’ They’re like, ‘Four.’

I’m like, ‘I can’t do that. Can’t do four,’” she said. “So it’s nice to have that ...

Yes, there’s a pickleball community, but there’s lots of people that just come out and hang out and just have a fun day.” The tournament organizer also invites spectators to come check out the action at the second-ever Pickleballooza. “Last year there were some people that came out,” said Marley.

“Others told me they were just watching to see what it was all about because it was new last year, and people are skeptical, so I encourage people to come out and just see. This is a full-blown tournament. We run it very well.

I know a lot of people were impressed last year. I’m hoping they’re impressed this year.” For more information or to register, go to https://thelocalinc.ca/markets/.