Belknap Park is getting loud this week as pickleball takes over nearly every inch of court space in sight. The Beer City Open and Major League Pickleball’s mid‑season tournament have turned the hillside into a weeklong hub for roughly 1,200 amateur players and a full slate of pros, with brackets running from early mornings into the evening. For Grand Rapids, that translates to packed streets, food trucks doing brisk business and a steady soundtrack of paddle pops echoing across the park.
Event schedule and format
The Beer City Open schedule runs July 7–12, with early amateur matches and pro practice rounds free to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a grounds pass required once Major League Pickleball action kicks in later in the week, according to the Beer City Open. The amateur side is carved into themed days: seniors’ men’s doubles yesterday, mixed seniors today, all-women’s doubles tomorrow, singles on Friday and doubles brackets across the weekend. Doubles main draws play best‑of‑three games to 11, while singles divisions are single‑game races to 15.
For anyone playing or planning to watch sunrise pickleball, registration and start‑time listings show competitors on court as early as 7:30 a.m., according to Pickleball Tournaments.
Major League Pickleball mid‑season tournament
Major League Pickleball is dropping its entire operation into Belknap Park for a mid‑season showdown. All 20 franchises, plus Team Australia, Team Canada, Team Europe and a College All‑Stars squad, will play a double‑elimination bracket from July 8–12. The league’s published bracket includes evening broadcast windows on FS1 and FS2 and a live championship final scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, giving local fans a rare chance to be part of a national TV backdrop, according to Major League Pickleball.
Organizers are also dangling a serious carrot for the pros: a $250,000 prize purse for the weekend, as reported by MLive.
Paddletek one‑point challenge
For amateurs who like their drama distilled, the Paddletek One Point Challenge squeezes entire storylines into a single rally. The special event uses a single‑point, single‑elimination format for 128 doubles teams and puts $25,000 on the line, with $20,000 to the winners and $5,000 to the runners‑up. Entry fees are intentionally low, and organizers say proceeds support the Belknap Park Foundation and ongoing court upkeep.
The rapid‑fire bracket is set to bring pro cameos to the championship court and add a festival vibe to Saturday’s schedule, according to event details on Pickleball Tournaments.
Tickets, parking and what to bring
Grounds passes and center‑court seats are sold through the event’s ticket partner, with amateur play on the first two days free for spectators and a grounds pass required Thursday through Sunday to access Major League Pickleball matches, according to Tixr.
Parking will take some planning. Tournament guidance notes that on‑site parking is limited to ADA spaces and reserved spots for players, vendors and volunteers, with weekday shuttle service to overflow at Wellspring Preparatory High School and a city lot at 1120 Monroe used for weekend overflow. Spectators are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles, be ready for a bit of a walk between lots and lean on ride‑share when possible, per Beer City Open.
Local buzz and economic lift
Destination and tourism outlets say the tournament week brings thousands of visitor interactions and a noticeable bump for downtown restaurants, bars and hotels. Local coverage and the Grand Rapids Pickleball Club trace the event’s evolution from a regional draw into a national‑level stop over the past several years, turning Belknap Park into a summer pilgrimage site for pickleball die‑hards.
How to follow if you can’t make it
If you are staying out of the crowds, the action is still easy to find. Most matches will stream on PickleballTV and the PickleballTV app, while FS1 and FS2 handle selected evening windows. The Sunday final is slated to air live on FOX at 3 p.m. ET, according to Major League Pickleball’s schedule. For full brackets, match times and live updates throughout the week, fans can follow the league’s event information online.
