Pickle Fest 2026 Opens in Cebu, Spotlighting Philippine Amateur Pickleball Growth

Nearly 200 players packed into the Net and Paddle Pickleball Club along Tupas St., Sawang Calero when Pickle Fest 2026 opened on March 11, turning Cebu City into the center of Philippine pickleball for the second time in the sport's short national history.

The five-day tournament, organized by Kosmas Athletic Ventures Corporation and Sunrise Events Inc., is built around the Pickleball Champions League Rising Stars U19 Sectional Tournament, which serves as the qualifying round for the PCL Asia Grand Finals in Hainan this April. The festival runs through March 15, with the U19 centerpiece scheduled for March 14-15.

"This is one of the biggest pickleball tournaments to be held here in Cebu," tournament director Cesar Guinto said at the March 10 press conference. "We're very excited to see everyone compete in the next few days. We are expecting over a hundred participants in the different age groups, while around five to eight teams will compete in the U19 competition."

Competition opened with the Novice division before escalating through Low Intermediate, High Intermediate, and Open categories across the first three days. Adult players compete in men's, women's, and mixed doubles formats, spanning skill levels from Newbie through Open. The U19 Sectional Tournament, the competitive and emotional apex of the festival, closes out the schedule on Saturday.

Representing Cebu in those U19 qualifiers is a Philippine junior team coached by Elvin Tabura, son of the late Cebuano tennis figure Fritz Tabura. The squad features Gio John Manito, JP Rabaya, Aaron Kevin Tabura, and Aaron Galo.

Former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann helped formally launch the event at Tuesday's press conference alongside Steve Kuhn, referee head Gigi Macera, and Guinto. Bachmann framed the tournament as part of a coordinated push to build the sport institutionally, through the Philippine Pickleball Federation, with public and private sectors both contributing.

"It cannot be done by the government alone; everyone must work together," Bachmann said. "Now the private sector is helping the NSA, and the PSC is also supportive. Everyone is working together for the growth of the sport." He went further, pointing toward an ambitious long-term target: "Hopefully, it will be part of the 2032 Olympics."

The stakes for winning teams include a US$1,000 development grant and travel support for international competition, according to a post from local news outlet Kalami Cebu. Registration for the U19 Rising Stars division was set at ₱12,000, with adult categories priced at ₱3,000. The tournament drew backing from Milo, Summit Natural Drinking Water, and Pocari Sweat, per the same source, with those details pending official organizer confirmation.

The Cebu setting carries symbolic weight. Pickleball was first introduced to the Philippines through a clinic held in Cebu in 2016, and the sport has since grown to more than 320 registered clubs nationwide, according to Kalami Cebu. A decade after that first clinic, the sport's Philippine story is still being written on the same courts where it started, now with junior players competing for a ticket to Asia.