PadelFest Bristol holds its first edition this Saturday, 19 September, at Rocket Padel Bristol on St. Annes Road. From 10am, all 14 courts are open to beginners, regular players and competitors for open play, coaching, racket testing, challenges and exhibition matches. The programme continues into the evening with a 96-player LTA Grade 4 mixed doubles tournament.
PadelFest Bristol programme: coaching, exhibitions and racket testing
Rocket Padel Bristol is making all 14 indoor courts available for the festival. The official PadelFest Bristol page lists taster sessions, technical clinics, sessions for women and juniors, level assessments, a recovery zone and challenges with live leaderboards. General admission started at £9.99 and most coaching slots were sold out before the event.
Visitors can also test rackets and speak directly with manufacturers. The line-up announced by the organisers includes Bullpadel, adidas padel, NOX, Dunlop, HEAD, Tecnifibre, Oxdog, STIGA, Pallap, Hirostar, Raquex and Stealth. British players are scheduled for exhibition matches, while Smash Padel, Empower Padel, Padel Levels and The Padel School are involved in different playing or coaching formats.
Ben Harris, co-founder of The Padel Directory, explained on LinkedIn that the event was designed to welcome beginners and competitive players alike. He summed up the aim in Bristol this way:
“We want someone who has never held a racket to feel just as welcome as someone entering the evening tournament.”
LTA Grade 4 mixed doubles: 96 players and spectator access from 5pm
The evening LTA Grade 4 mixed doubles tournament is sold out with 96 players. The organisers describe it as the first Grade 4 mixed tournament of its kind in the UK. Spectators can watch the matches from 5pm, after the public daytime programme.
PadelFest arrives as Britain’s player base has expanded sharply. The LTA reported 860,000 padel participants during 2025, up from 400,000 at the start of that year, and later announced that participation had passed one million in 2026. The LTA annual report update provides the national comparison.
For brands, PadelFest provides direct contact with players who can test equipment before buying it. For players, the same day can move from a coaching clinic to an exhibition match and then an official competition. Bristol is the first stop in a format the organisers plan to take to several UK cities in 2027.
