明治公園にピックルボール特設コート、9月29日から16日間 HYROX・バスケと複合開催

国立競技場のとなり、都立明治公園（東京都新宿区霞ヶ丘町5−7）に、2026年9月29日から10月14日までの16日間、「Wellness Park Tokyo AUTUMN 2026」が開催される。ピックルボールの特設コートは10月1日から14日まで運営され、公園を管理するTokyo Legacy Parks（TLP）が主催する。ピックルは、世界で競技人口を伸ばすフィットネスレース「HYROX」と、ハーフコート貸し出しのバスケットボールと同じ会場で開催される。園内の「みち広場」に用意されるこのコートが、都心の公園を複数のスポーツが共存する場へ切り替える。

Courts stand in a metropolitan park's Michi Hiroba for two weeks only

Pickleball runs from October 1 to 14. TLP describes the courts as a new racket sport anyone can enjoy regardless of age or gender, with W ARC assisting on operations. Applications opened on September 8 through a dedicated Peatix page (wellness-park-tokyo-pickle.peatix.com), with advance registration and advance payment. Fees, capacity and eligibility are given on each application page, and places are managed day by day. Because these are temporary outdoor courts with nets pitched in a park rather than an indoor facility, note in advance that rain can bring cancellation or changes.

The venue is a new metropolitan park created by the redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien area, with good access from the station and plenty of foot traffic even on weekdays. Unlike a permanent roofed facility, an outdoor park gives passersby more chances to see a court in use. An outdoor site in central Tokyo, likethe 3-on-3 event held on the roof of Tokyo Tower, carries the same aim of cutting the sport into the field of view of people who do not know it.

Why pickleball was placed between HYROX and basketball

今回の会場設計で目を引くのは、ピックルが単独イベントではなく、性格の違う3競技と同居している点だ。HYROXはランニングに8種目の機能的トレーニングを組み合わせる高強度レースで、ビギナー・オープン・ダブルスの3クラスを用意する。バスケットボールはハーフコートのレンタルに加え、平日15時から17時は小中学生向けにフリーコートを開放し、10月3日から4日には「PICK UP PLAYGROUND CAMP」も予定されている。汗をかき切る競技と、子どもが自由に触れる競技、その中間にピックルが置かれている。

Bundling activities of different intensity into one park lets visitors choose by their fitness and mood. Someone who shies away from HYROX drifts to pickleball; someone who has moved their body on a pickleball court stops to watch HYROX. The design has the sports feeding each other participants. Given that pickleball has built its appeal on a low barrier to entry, where rallies keep going even for people who are not athletic, sitting next to high-intensity fitness is a good fit.

The schedules and booking routes for the three sports on one page

Each sport has its own dates and booking method, so it helps to sort them out before visiting. Below is what can be confirmed from the venue information.

Pickleball and HYROX both take advance payment, so turning up on the day gets you nowhere once the places are gone. Check the Peatix page for the day you want for availability and price before heading to the park.

Weekday slots from 19:00 aim at the working generation

HYROX's weekday slots at 19:00 and 20:30 say a lot about who this venue is after. The focus is not on people with free time during the day but on working adults who can stop by after work. Pickleball's detailed times are on its own application page, but if the venue is designed to draw out evening demand for exercise, Tokyo office workers picking up a paddle after clocking off are a main target.

働く世代を屋外の夜に呼び込む発想は、都内で進む常設化の流れとも重なる。豊洲のドッグパーク内に屋外4面の常設コートが開いた, more attempts are being made to run idle urban space and parks through to weekday nights. The 16 days at Meiji Park look strongly like a demand test ahead of something permanent, a chance to watch how people gather over a short run and to collect material on where to commit to permanent courts next.

2,000 visitors over two editions: where is Tokyo's entrance headed

According to TLP, Wellness Park has drawn a combined 2,000 participants over its previous two editions. That is roughly 1,000 people per edition, handled comfortably in an outdoor park in central Tokyo. Pickleball tasters on their own show the same, as withthe free two-session taster Shibuya Ward held, where places filled in a short time. The widening base shows up in the numbers.

The strength of a multi-sport event is that it does not limit first contact with pickleball to people who came on purpose. Someone who came for HYROX or basketball plays a quick game on the court next door. That accidental entrance picks up people a standalone taster misses. Growth in Tokyo is running on two tracks, building dedicated facilities and riding on existing crowd-pullers, and Meiji Park is the leading example of the second. For players, and for businesses thinking about running a facility, how well the outdoor park plus multi-sport event format sticks is worth watching.

Practical information to check before you go

If you are considering going, check these first. The venue is Tokyo Metropolitan Meiji Park at 5-7 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku, with good access by public transport. Pickleball and HYROX take advance registration and payment through Peatix, so secure a place on the day you want rather than relying on walk-ups. Being outdoors, it is exposed to the weather, and rain can mean cancellation or changes. Fees, capacity, what to bring and age limits are governed by each sport's application page; no single set of figures has been published as of this article. Whether rackets and shoes can be borrowed is also safest to check there.

Playing in a park differs from an indoor court in ball feel and wind. Anyone not used to outdoor balls should start with softer shots on the assumption that the wind will carry the ball, which keeps rallies going even on a first outing.

How to read this beyond the 16 days

明治公園の特設コートは10月14日で撤収される。しかし、この16日間の集客と反応は、次の常設コート計画や別の公園への横展開を左右する試験材料になる。都心の一等地でピックルがどれだけ人を集められるかを、運営側は数字で測っている。訪れる側にできる最も具体的な次アクションは、気になる日のPeatixページを開いて空き枠と料金を確かめ、屋外のラリーを一度体験してみることだ。そこで感じた手応えが、東京の次のコートを生む後押しになる。

Source:Wellness Park Tokyo AUTUMN 2026 event details (PR TIMES)