Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore press release:
Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, with the support of PNC Bank, will launch the Inner Harbor Pickleball Court, a six-week pop-up pickleball experience designed to bring recreation, community programming and new energy to Baltimore’s waterfront.
The temporary court will be located at the PNC Bank-sponsored shade stations at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater, an existing seasonal placemaking installation featuring seating areas, native plants and waterfront gathering spaces designed to encourage residents and visitors to enjoy the harbor. The pop-up court will be open from Friday, July 17, through Friday, Aug. 28. Community members and visitors will be able to reserve court time, bring their own equipment or rent paddles and balls on site for $5 an hour through Toss and Spin.
Waterfront Partnership and PNC Bank will host a special community event at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 21 to celebrate the launch, featuring a friendly “Battle of the Waterfront” pickleball match between PNC Bank, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. Public lessons and open play will begin at 11 a.m.
“Our goal is to ensure every resident and visitor feels connected to Baltimore’s greatest natural asset,” said Dan Taylor, president of Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. “Recreation like swimming, boating and playing along the waterfront invites people to experience the Inner Harbor in new and engaging ways. This pickleball pop-up is another way to bring people together and show that the waterfront is a place to gather, play and enjoy Baltimore.”
“Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is one of the city’s most iconic gathering places, and this pickleball pop-up is an exciting way to bring new energy and activity to the waterfront,” said Laura Gamble, PNC regional president for Greater Maryland. “Through our relationship with Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, PNC is proud to support innovative community experiences that encourage connection, promote wellness and showcase the vibrancy of our city.”
“We are building on everything the Inner Harbor already offers by giving people yet another reason to gather here,” said Chris Clark, founder and CEO of Toss & Spin. “That’s the part we love most, creating a pop-up moment for individuals that turns into a community.”
Toss & Spin is partnering with SOS Pickleball to support programming for the Inner Harbor Pickleball Court, combining local pickleball expertise with an engaging pop-up court experience. The six-week activation will include clinics for beginners, open play for community members and small tournaments for more competitive players, each designed to bring people together through pickleball at the waterfront.
Additional clinics and small tournaments will also take place at local SOS Pickleball courts. For more information and to play indoors locally, visit sospickleball.com. The Inner Harbor Pickleball Court is being installed in partnership with Toss & Spin.
The Inner Harbor Pickleball Court is part of Waterfront Partnership’s broader summer programming across the waterfront, bringing together partners, businesses and community organizations to showcase Baltimore’s harbor as a hub for recreation, dining, entertainment and community connection.
Community members can reserve court time and fill out waivers at https://www.waterfrontpartnership.org/recreation. All participants will be required to complete a waiver before playing.
