Registration opens for 2026 Winona Lake Sunset Pickleball Tournament

Registration opened June 10 for the 2026 Winona Lake Sunset Pickleball Tournament, and local players were already moving to reserve a place in one of the region’s most sought-after annual brackets. The tournament is set for September 11-13 at the Winona Lake Pickleball Courts, and organizers are expecting another strong turnout after last year’s field filled completely.

The event will again unfold on eight outdoor courts at Winona Lake Park, with tournament materials listing the venue as Winona Lake Park and Winona Lake Pickleball Club at 1590 Park Avenue in Winona Lake, Indiana. The courts include four permanent, individually fenced courts and four temporary courts, giving the tournament a bigger footprint than many local events. Parking is free, and an indoor backup at the newly remodeled Grace College Recreation Center is available if weather turns.

The format is broad enough to draw a wide range of players. The 2026 schedule includes a senior men’s and women’s doubles day, singles open, mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s doubles open. That spread gives traveling players and local regulars multiple ways to build a weekend around the event, whether they are looking for age-group competition or open-level play.

There is also a clear incentive to register early. Players who sign up by August 10 will receive a free tournament T-shirt, a detail that adds a deadline to a field that has already shown it can fill quickly. Last year’s tournament drew 270 players, 20 more than the year before, and local coverage said the 2025 field included competitors from Kosciusko County, elsewhere in Indiana and states as far away as Florida.

Part of the tournament’s appeal is the setting. Tournament listings highlight the lake area, walking trails, shops and restaurants at The Village at Winona Lake, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places. That makes the tournament more than a quick day trip; it is set up as a destination weekend with enough off-court options to keep players and families around between matches.

The event also carries a strong charitable purpose. All net proceeds benefit World Compassion Network, a local disaster relief ministry and mission organization that says it has been helping families rebuild after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of North Carolina and Tennessee in September 2024. That mix of competitive play, scenic surroundings and community fundraising has helped turn the Sunset tournament into a fixture in Winona Lake, and the early registration window suggests this year’s field may once again move fast.