Twelfth Annual Lake Havasu Picklefest Hosts Round-Robin Play on 16 Courts

Lake Havasu City Pickleball Association staged its twelfth annual PickleFest from February 27 through March 1 at Dick Samp Memorial Park, running round-robin play across the Mike Delaney Pickleball Complex's 16 dedicated outdoor hardcourts at 1628 Avalon Ave. Organizers emphasized the round-robin format so players would get multiple matches rather than the "dreaded 'two and barbecue'."

LHCPBA positioned PickleFest as its largest annual fundraiser; association materials describe the tournament as "our biggest fund raising event each year." The association is a registered 501(c)(7), and Janie Morris signed the group's newsletter with the closing line, "See you on the courts!" Organizers cited PickleFest's strong turnout history — the 2025 tournament recorded over 266 registered players — as context for this year's multi-day field and playoff rounds.

Registration for the event had gone live on pickleballtournaments.com on October 23, 2025 and closed on February 13, 2026, with organizers saying the final competition schedule would be released after registrations closed. Promotional copy before the event warned that "Registration closes strictly on February 13, 2026, and brackets are filling up fast." At the same time, posted cancellation language stated, "If you cancel before February 15, 2026, you will receive a refund minus a $15 administration fee," and organizers noted that "If the tournament is cancelled due to rain or severe weather, the policy allows for up to a 50% refund, as many expenses are incurred upfront." Event materials therefore list both Feb. 13 as the registration cutoff and Feb. 15 as the personal-cancellation cutoff.

Play at PickleFest followed round-robin pools across skill and age brackets, with top finishers advancing to playoff rounds; event pages and association programming also referenced Mini Singles play and the LHCPBA's regular offerings such as weekly skill-level Round Robins, a Sign up with a Partner Round Robin, and upcoming novice/intermediate clinics. Organizers said the round-robin structure was chosen explicitly to maximize court time and avoid short trips for players.

The venue had recent upgrades that supported the tournament: outdoor lighting on courts one through four was completed in March 2025, the upper parking lot was paved in early 2025, and Phase 3 custom bricks were installed by court six in October 2025. The association also highlighted a June 2025 indoor lighting upgrade at the ARK Center, with a plaque thanking donors including Arlo Cox.

Because PickleFest was staged outdoors in late February, organizers noted Lake Havasu's historically favorable climate of cool mornings and warm afternoons while also maintaining the weather-contingent refund policy. For visitors, Go Lake Havasu lists the visitor center at 422 English Village, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403 and offers phone contacts at (800) 242-8278 and (928) 453-3444 for travel or event questions.

With 16 acrylic-surfaced courts, round-robin pools followed by playoffs, and LHCPBA calling PickleFest its largest fundraiser, the twelfth annual tournament reinforced Lake Havasu's investment in community pickleball and venue capacity as the season shifts into spring play.