by Kelly Campbell
You can officially play pickleball everywhere—and we mean everywhere. With an increased demand for and execution of portable pickleball, our favorite sport is no longer confined to traditional permanent courts. With portable courts making it easier than ever to bring the game to the people, pickleball is turning heads at corporate events, city pop-ups, private parties, and more.
While portable pickleball isn’t necessarily a new concept, as pickleball continues to grow and demand increases, more companies are developing their own technologies, and pickleball products are getting better and better. Pickleball has become more than just a niche sport––it’s a social connector that starts conversations and brings people together. That’s mainly due to pickleball access in non-athletic spaces, which is made possible by bringing pickleball to the people.
Read on for more about portable pickleball possibilities, companies with portable solutions, and why portable courts are a game-changer for pickleball growth and expansion.
How Portable Courts Are Changing the Pickleball Game
One of our favorite things about pickleball is its accessibility. With minimal effort and equipment, you can get your dink on just about anywhere. But for larger groups or more competitive players, public courts fill up quick and a chalked blacktop won’t cut it. Enter portable pickleball courts: a modern, mobile solution designed to meet the sport’s growing demand.
Instead of searching for available courts, you can now bring the court to you. It’s a game changer—not just for avid pickleballers, but for social organizers, event planners, and even curious first-timers. Portable surfaces aren’t meant to replace traditional courts; they expand access by bringing pickleball into any setting or experience.
From parking lots to rooftop lounges, portable courts vary in durability, setup time, and surface type. And as pickleball continues to explode in popularity, so does the range of options.
With options like roll-out vinyl kits to professional-grade modular tiles, portable pickleball courts come in a range of setups to suit different needs. For more structured events or high-traffic spaces, durable interlocking court tiles that mimic the bounce and feel of permanent surfaces may be best, and acrylic overlays for hard surfaces can feel more professional and permanent. Some setups can be installed in under 30 minutes, while others are built to stay in place for months at a time—making them ideal for festivals, sponsored pop-ups, or semi-permanent installations in multi-use venues.
Portable pickleball is reshaping how and where the game is played. It’s not just about growing the sport, but about creating new ways for people to connect through it. Nonathletes can try their hand at pickleball at a pop-up event, social gathering, or even during a company retreat. Portability helps spread the joy of pickleball far beyond the court—making it an even more fun, inclusive, and low-barrier activity for everyone.
Pickleball in Cities
Despite being limited in space, cities across the U.S. haven’t had too much difficulty morphing into pickleball paradises. That’s largely in part because of transportable solutions that allow for pickleball trials to be played everywhere and anywhere.
One of the most successful pickleball pop-ups over the last few years is in New York’s Central Park. Wollman Rink is Central Park’s iconic ice skating rink, which now transforms into a summer pickleball experience. CityPickle put on the first Central Park summer pickleball event in 2023, and it has since become a staple. In April, they installed an acrylic overlay on top of the concrete rink surface. In the wintertime, the surface will transform back into an ice rink. The seasonal pickleball court gives a new life to the rink in the summer months, creating a pickleball haven for tourists and New Yorkers during the busiest tourist season.
Another example of portable pickleball possibility in New York City is the iconic rooftop pickleball event at Hudson Yards. The Edge Observatory is the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, with breathtaking views. Last summer, skincare brand La Roche-Posay put up a pickleball court on The Edge’s observation deck at 1,131 feet to promote their “Every Day is a Sunscreen Day” campaign. The event generated buzz for both the brand and pickleball––bringing the sport to new heights, literally. And once the event wrapped up, the observation deck went back to business as usual.
The demand for pickleball spaces is increasing in major U.S. cities in general, and while setting up truly permanent courts is the ultimate goal, temporary and portable courts are a direct pipeline to get there. These temporary pickleball solutions provide unique benefits for pickleballers and overall pickleball development, including:
- Creating faster, lower-cost solutions than permanent courts
- Allowing for limited engagements at iconic spots across the U.S.
- Activating underutilized urban areas like piers, rooftops, malls, and bridge plazas
- Giving communities the opportunity to test engagement and logistics before committing to permanent courts
- Attracting foot traffic and community buzz
Corporate Events & More
Corporate events are a major untapped market for pickleball—and the payoff goes both ways. Not only does it provide an engaging, low-barrier activity for employees or customers, but it also creates fresh opportunities to introduce the sport to new audiences.
The size of a company, the number of participants, and the event budget all shape what kind of portable court setup is feasible—but today’s options are nearly limitless.
Brands & Corporate Campaigns: Just like La Roche-Posay’s rooftop pickleball experience, brands are tapping into the sport’s momentum to generate buzz and build awareness. Pickleball’s cultural moment is a unique marketing tool: it’s social, accessible, and visually engaging. Brands and the sport benefit from the exchange; pickleball gains exposure, while companies align themselves with a movement that’s active, fun, and community-driven. Portable courts make choosing pickleball as a brand event anchor more appealing and accessible than ever.
Employee Retreats: Employee retreats or wellness days are ideal fits for portable pickleball. Whether it’s a team-building challenge or a casual open play session, companies large and small can tailor the experience to their needs. It’s accessible, inclusive, safe for all fitness levels, and can easily scale in intensity from laid-back lunch-break rallies to competitive round-robin tournaments. Pickleball encourages lighthearted competition, improves morale, and helps coworkers connect in new ways.
With more vendors than ever offering flexible pickleball solutions, event organizers don’t need to worry about being hands-on in setup.
Outside the corporate world, the use cases keep growing: pop-up courts are popping up at beach parties, private celebrations, apartment rooftops, community festivals, public parks, and more.
Companies Working to Address Portable Pickleball Demand
Here are some pickleball companies working to provide exceptional portable pickleball experiences in different ways:
- Pickleball United USA: Can transform any sub surface into a high-performance court, with permanent and temporary options.
- World of Pickleball: Creates full pickleball experiences for company events and includes everything––gear, courts, prizes, and more.
- Pickle Roll: Offers a single-piece court surface for permanent installation in addition to temporary pickleball court tiles. All products come in various sizes for a customizable experience.
- VersaCourt: Provides modular-tile pickleball courts that can be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily. They partner with RG Event Surfaces for temporary court rentals.
- Pickleball Pop-Ups: Delivers, installs, and supplies pickleball courts and equipment, with the option to rent seasonally or for events.
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