CityPickle Pop-Up Pickleball in Central Park

CityPickle’s Central Park season is back, with 14 outdoor pickleball courts running at Wollman Rink starting Tuesday, April 21. (city-pickle.com) The setup runs daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Wollman Rink, where the ice rink shifts to pickleball during the off-season. Court reservations, clinics, open play and private lessons are all listed through CityPickle. (centralpark.com) The basic drop-in option is $5 community play, and CityPickle says it is designed for all levels and includes social games with other players. First-time bookers are also being offered either $50 off a court reservation or 50% off a single clinic or open-play session. (city-pickle.com) Private court rentals are priced at $80 an hour in off-peak periods and $120 an hour in peak periods, according to CentralPark.com’s event listing. Off-peak hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, while peak pricing applies 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and all day Friday through Sunday. (centralpark.com) This is CityPickle’s fourth season at Wollman Rink, extending a spring-to-fall conversion that has turned one of Manhattan’s best-known skating sites into a seasonal racket-sports venue. Time Out New York reported the 2026 run began April 21 and continues through early fall. (timeout.com) The Central Park location is part of a wider push to make the sport easier to try in New York without owning gear or booking a private group. CityPickle says paddles are available for rent on court bookings, and Mount Sinai says its sponsored Wollman Rink community-play clinics run Monday through Friday from April through October. (city-pickle.com) (mountsinai.org) For beginners, the menu is broader than just open court time. CityPickle lists one-hour instructional clinics at intro, advanced beginner and intermediate levels for $20, while CentralPark.com says players can also add a coach to a booking. (city-pickle.com) (centralpark.com) The rink also keeps some of the all-day hangout feel that helped the pop-up catch on in earlier seasons. On-site food and drinks are provided by Great Performances, and both CityPickle and Time Out say cabana-style court options and private-event bookings are available. (centralpark.com) (timeout.com) If you go this week, the practical detail is timing: reservations open on a rolling basis one week ahead, and the operator is running multiple formats at the same site each day. The courts are open, but the exact session mix depends on the schedule in the CityPickle app and booking system. (timeout.com) (city-pickle.com)