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Pétanque in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland
Five groups across the capital region, and not one of them asks for a membership before you play. The largest lends boules and teaches you on arrival.
Five pétanque groups cover Washington, Virginia and Maryland. The largest is in Arlington and does not ask anyone for a membership before they play.
Only one group plays inside the District itself, on a Monday afternoon on Capitol Hill.
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Five groups
The clubs
Two are FPUSA members and three are informal. None of them requires membership to turn up and play.
| Club | Where | Status | When | Venue and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Capital Club de Pétanque | Arlington, VA | FPUSA | Wednesday and Saturday, 1:30pm | Virginia Highlands Park, 15th Street side. No membership needed to play |
| Les Boulefrogs Pétanque Club of Virginia | Richmond, VA | FPUSA | Sundays 1pm, Thursdays 6pm | Chimborazo Playground at 29th and Grace. Just show up, everything provided |
| Capitol Hill Players | Washington, DC | Informal | Mondays 2pm | The park at 2nd and I Streets SE, flat and shaded, with room for three terrains |
| La Boule Joyeuse | Carderock, MD | Informal | Sundays 1:30pm, Mondays 11am | Carderock Recreation Area, by the picnic pavilion. No formal organization and no web page. Ask the Arlington club or simply turn up |
| Southern Maryland Pétanque Players | Prince Frederick, MD | Informal | Tuesdays 2pm, Saturdays 11am | Hallowing Point Park, 4755 Hallowing Point Road. Also called the Calvert County Clams |
Nothing to join. The Arlington club says it outright: membership is not required, and everyone is welcome to come out and play at any time.
Loaner boules and free instruction are both on offer, so a first visit needs nothing but closed-toe shoes.
The largest club
Arlington
National Capital Club de Pétanque is the oldest and largest group in the Washington area.
Where to find it
Virginia Highlands Park, on the 15th Street side, one block west of Hayes Street. The courts sit directly across from the apartment building at 901 15th Street South.
Pentagon City Metro and the mall are about a block and a half away, and there is parking in the park with an entrance from Hayes Street.
When
Every Wednesday and Saturday at 1:30pm, weather permitting. Saturdays run until the last players leave, usually around 4pm.
If a federal holiday falls on a Monday they play that day too, from 1:30pm.
A small piece of internet history
The club produced one of the first pétanque videos on the internet, in 1992, and the federation welcomed and distributed it.
For a sport that reached most Americans through word of mouth, that is an unusually early piece of outreach.
Church Hill
Richmond
Les Boulefrogs
Chimborazo Playground, on the corner of 29th and Grace in Church Hill. Sundays at 1pm and Thursdays at 6pm.
The club’s own guidance is to just show up: no experience needed, everything provided, all ages welcome, come alone or bring people.
Beyond the games
It runs potlucks, tournaments and events through the year, and its committee page is titled Captains of Fun.
It was the second-largest club in its federation region by membership in the mid-2010s, behind only Carolina Pétanque.
Three informal groups
DC and Maryland
Capitol Hill
The only group playing inside the District. It meets at 2pm on Mondays in the park at 2nd and I Streets SE.
The ground is flat, shaded and covered, with room for three terrains. Newcomers are always welcome.
Carderock
La Boule Joyeuse plays by the picnic pavilion in the Carderock Recreation Area, just outside the Beltway. As of fall 2025 it meets Sundays at 1:30pm and Mondays at 11am.
There is no formal organization, no official contact and no web page.
The practical route in is to ask the Arlington club’s president, or simply turn up.
Calvert County
The Southern Maryland Pétanque Players, who also go by the Calvert County Clams, play Hallowing Point Park at 4755 Hallowing Point Road in Prince Frederick.
Tuesdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 11am.
A regional quirk
Philadelphia, and a regional quirk
Philadelphia is close by but sits in a different federation region, which matters when reading a tournament calendar.
Where they play
Philadelphia Pétanque Club plays at the circle in Clark Park North, nearest intersection 43rd Street and South Baltimore Ave in West Philadelphia.
Transit is good, with SEPTA trolleys along both Baltimore and Chester Avenues, and street parking around the park is generally adequate. A second terrain exists near the University of Pennsylvania.
The 2026 regional
Philadelphia hosted the Northeast Regional Select Doubles at Clark Park on September 19, 2026. Check-in was 9:30am for a 10am start, at $70 per team.
No lunch was provided, though the park is ringed with cafes and food trucks, and the club supplied cold water.
The quirk
Arlington and Richmond sit in the federation’s Mid-America region, while Philadelphia sits in the Northeast. Arlington is closer to Philadelphia than to most clubs in its own region.
Our United States page sets out how the seven regions are drawn.
Common questions
Questions about pétanque around Washington DC
Where can I play pétanque near Washington DC?
National Capital Club de Pétanque at Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington, on the 15th Street side, one block west of Hayes Street. Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1:30pm, weather permitting.
It is about a block and a half from Pentagon City Metro, and there is parking in the park with an entrance off Hayes Street.
Do I need to join to play there?
No. The club states plainly that membership is not required and that everyone is welcome to come out and play at any time.
Loaner boules and free instruction are both available. Saturdays run from 1:30pm until the last players leave, usually around 4pm.
Is there anywhere to play inside DC itself?
One group. The Capitol Hill Players meet at 2pm on Monday afternoons in the park at the corner of 2nd and I Streets SE.
The ground is flat and shaded and holds three terrains. Everything else in the DC scene is across the river in Virginia or up in Maryland.
How old is the Arlington club?
It was founded in the 1980s and has run since. It calls itself the oldest and largest pétanque group in the Washington area.
It also produced one of the first pétanque videos on the internet, in 1992, which the federation welcomed and distributed.
Where can I play in Richmond?
Les Boulefrogs Pétanque Club of Virginia, at Chimborazo Playground on the corner of 29th and Grace in Church Hill. Sundays at 1pm and Thursdays at 6pm.
The club’s own instruction is to just show up. No experience is needed, it provides everything and all ages are welcome.
Is there pétanque in Maryland?
Two informal groups. La Boule Joyeuse plays at the Carderock Recreation Area, Sundays at 1:30pm and Mondays at 11am, with no formal organization and no web page, so ask the Arlington club or turn up.
The Southern Maryland Pétanque Players, also known as the Calvert County Clams, play Hallowing Point Park in Prince Frederick, Tuesdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 11am.
Does the club hold potlucks or socials?
Yes. The Arlington club runs potluck picnics from noon to about 2pm every few months, skipping winter and bad weather.
Newcomers are welcome at them, which is a gentler entry than arriving mid-game.
What about Baltimore, Delaware and New Jersey?
Nothing on record. Baltimore has no entry in any current directory, and the Delaware and New Jersey listings are empty placeholders.
Neither appears on any FPUSA regional roster. The nearest club to either is in Philadelphia or Arlington.
What tournaments run nearby?
Philadelphia hosted the Northeast Regional Select Doubles at Clark Park on September 19, 2026, entry $70 per team, check-in 9:30am.
Philadelphia sits in a different federation region from Arlington and Richmond, which is worth knowing when looking at calendars.
Elsewhere in the US
Other American regions
Virginia sits in the FPUSA Mid-America Region alongside the Carolinas and Ohio.
Playing around DC and not listed?
Some groups here run with no web presence at all. Send the details.
Pétanque, once a month
Club spotlights, new court listings, equipment notes and events across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Free. One click to leave.
Overview
- Groups: five
- FPUSA members: two
- Largest: National Capital, Arlington
- Membership to play: not required anywhere
- Inside DC: one group, Capitol Hill, Mondays
- Richmond: Sundays 1pm and Thursdays 6pm
- Nearest regional tournament: Philadelphia, September
- Baltimore, Delaware, New Jersey: nothing on record
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