Where Alliance Française members play pétanque

More than 40 Alliance Française chapters in the US have run or promoted pétanque, from a weekly game in a city park to one picnic a year. Some chapters play every week or two, others hold a single picnic or tournament and a few play alongside a local club.

The list comes from each chapter’s own pages, checked in late October and early November 2026. Dates move with the seasons, so the chapter pages linked below have the current schedule.

Chapters with a regular game

Buffalo: Sundays at 11 AM in Delaware Park, near the Rumsey Shelter, when the weather is nice. Chapter page

Charlotte: twice a month, on the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays, at the Nevin Community Park courts with Carolina Pétanque. Boules are provided and beginners are welcome. Chapter page

Charleston: two options, “Serious Pétanque” at a member’s home in Summerville (contact the organizer first) and a relaxed game at Palmetto Islands County Park in Mount Pleasant, where boules and drinks are provided. Chapter page

Northwestern Connecticut: a league of about 25 players from May to September, on private courts at members’ homes. Newcomers are welcome through the chapter’s pétanque membership form. Chapter page

Maine: monthly summer games in Brunswick, with French conversation on the side and registration on the chapter page. Chapter page

Greater Orlando: monthly potluck picnics with pétanque, open to members and non-members. Chapter page

Sarasota: Sunday afternoon pétanque, listed with the chapter’s social gatherings. Chapter page

Chapters with an occasional game or tournament

Tournaments and contests

Raleigh’s Pétanque Contest at its French Cultural Center pairs players at random for each game. The 2026 contest, moved to November 7 because of rain, sold out.

Detroit ran a tournament with trophies at VFW Park in Royal Oak in October 2025, open to all levels, with boules provided. Grand Rapids plays its annual tournament on the grass of the chapter president’s backyard, with 30 players in 15 teams of two in 2024, when the Federation’s blog covered it.

Picnics and afternoons

 Sacramento: Pétanque et Pique-nique on the Club Français de Sacramento courts at the Mather Sports Complex, with experienced players showing beginners how to play.

 Santa Rosa: an annual pétanque rendez-vous with a picnic at Matanzas Creek Winery.

 Portland: an afternoon at Westmoreland Park with French referee Patrick Grignon on the rules of the game, including the changes coming in 2027.

 Cincinnati: a free afternoon in August 2025 on two courts at Pompilio’s in Newport, Kentucky, with instructors running drills before the games.

 Columbia, Knoxville and Aiken: chapter picnics with pétanque, in October for Columbia and Knoxville and in April for Aiken, where events are for members only.

Bastille Day

Central Iowa and North Shore planned pétanque for Bastille Day, which the e-flash reported. Hartford’s celebration at a private home and garden in Glastonbury included a game, and Philadelphia’s Francophone groups included pétanque in their joint Rittenhouse Square celebration.

Chapters that play with a local club

A few chapters work with a pétanque club, which gives members a place to play between chapter events. Sacramento’s picnic takes place on the Club Français de Sacramento courts, and Charlotte publishes its 2026 schedule with its partner Carolina Pétanque.

L’Alliance New York had La Boule New Yorkaise among its Bastille Day family partners. Portland points members to the Portland Pétanque Club and the Lake Oswego Oregon Pétanque Alliance, and Austin lists the Légation Boules Club and the Nelson Ranch Pétanque Club on its community resources page.

How to find a club near your chapter

The club directory on Pétanque Central lists 69 clubs in the US and over 140 across the US, Canada and Mexico. Each club page gives the location and, where the club has shared them, its playing times.

Before planning a chapter game, members can contact the nearest club about joining a session or borrowing boules. Chapters that run a game open to the public can send the details to samba@petanquecentral.com for a listing in the directory.

Samba B. Seck, Pétanque Central