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Boulodromes in North America: indoor and outdoor pétanque venues
A boulodrome is a ground laid out specially for playing boules, and in Québec the word usually means an indoor center. The Fédération de Pétanque du Québec lists 31 boulodromes, including indoor venues in Saint-Bernard, Montréal and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
In the United States, Carreau Club in Brooklyn has indoor courts and the Browning Hangar in Austin offers covered play. In Mexico, Club Mérida plays on its Petancódromo, lit with string lights.
Definition
What makes a venue a boulodrome
In Larousse, a boulodrome is a ground specially laid out for the game of boules. Wiktionary traces the word to boule plus the suffix -drome, with the English meaning of a pétanque pitch.
The dictionary meaning covers outdoor grounds too. In Québec the word usually means an indoor center: La Presse writes of players who keep playing in winter in an indoor center commonly called a boulodrome.
Merriam-Webster does not list the word. Outdoor public grounds are listed on our public courts page.
Québec
Indoor boulodromes in Québec
The Fédération de Pétanque du Québec (FPQ) lists 31 boulodromes for the 2025 season. The list does not say which are indoor or how many lanes each has.
Indoor venues and their lanes
| Venue | City | Lanes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulodrome de Saint-Bernard, 1582 rue Turcotte | Saint-Bernard (Beauce) | 20 indoor lanes | Volunteer committee manages it; inaugurated December 16, 2013 |
| Boulodrome Albert-Provencher, 14115 Prince-Arthur Est | Montréal (Pointe-aux-Trembles) | 14 lanes | Home of Club Les Boules de l’Île; 20th anniversary in 2024 |
| Boulodrome des Deux Rives, 287 12e Avenue | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | 10 playing surfaces of 38 x 6.75 ft | Former Sacré-Cœur church; open to players since April 3, 2023; up to 60 players |
| Boulodrome Montmagny, 25 boulevard Taché Ouest (basement) | Montmagny | Not stated | Operator: pétanque section of the Association de camping de Montmagny-L’Islet |
| Club de pétanque Val-des-Arbres, 1555 boulevard Saint-Martin Est | Laval | Not stated | Indoor play from September to April; not adapted for wheelchairs or walkers |
Saint-Bernard’s boulodrome has 20 indoor lanes and was inaugurated on December 16, 2013. The president of Club Les Boules de l’Île told La Presse in November 2024 that Albert-Provencher, with 14 lanes, is the only boulodrome on the island of Montréal.
In Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the Deux Rives boulodrome fills a former church with 10 playing surfaces and room for up to 60 players at once.
The FPQ list of 31 boulodromes
- Acton Vale
- Alma
- Baie-Comeau
- Baie-du-Febvre
- Blainville
- Beauharnois
- Chambord
- Gatineau/Hull
- Granby
- Honfleur
- Jonquière/Arvida
- Kingsey Falls
- Laval/Val-des-Arbres
- Lévis
- Longueuil
- Mirabel
- Montmagny
- Pointe-aux-Trembles
- Princeville
- Roberval
- Sherbrooke
- St-Bernard-de-Beauce
- St-Félicien
- St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
- St-Jérôme
- Ste-Hélène-de-Bagot
- Sorel-Tracy
- Terrebonne
- Trois-Rivières
- Victoriaville
- Warwick
Gatineau: a library basement
The FPQ list includes Gatineau, but Radio-Canada reported in March 2025 that the city had no dedicated boulodrome. The Association de la pétanque de Gatineau has more than 500 members who play in city parks from spring to fall. In winter about 100 players meet in the basement of the Lucien-Lalonde library building on rue Berri.
No more than 24 players can play there at once. The association is lobbying for a boulodrome.
United States
Indoor and covered courts in the United States
Carreau Club in Brooklyn plays indoors and the Browning Hangar in Austin is covered. Bryant Park in Manhattan has an outdoor gravel area open in season.
Carreau Club, Brooklyn
Carreau Club is a pétanque bar in Building 6 of Industry City, 68 34th Street, Brooklyn. Aaron Weeks and Dana Bunker opened it in 2020.
Industry City announced nine indoor courts in a 6,000 sq ft space, which opened on November 4, 2022. The club’s site now describes an 8,000 sq ft indoor and outdoor space.
Bryant Park, Manhattan
Bryant Park has outdoor pétanque on a gravel area along Sixth Avenue, just north of the 41st Street entrance. Equipment is provided and La Boule New Yorkaise gives free lessons on weekdays.
The courts are seasonal: the park listed October 2, 2025, for the last day of its 2025 season.
Browning Hangar, Austin
Legation Boules Club plays at the Browning Hangar in the Mueller development, a historic open-air structure with a wide covered space. The club says the hangar gives shade in summer and shelter in rain.
Fridays and Sundays are the busiest days, when players usually arrive around 3 PM and often play until dark.
Mexico
The Petancódromo in Mérida
The Petancódromo de Club Mérida is an outdoor playing area in a public park in Mérida, built with the club members’ own money. Its space is 24 m long and 6 m wide.
With the renovated original court, the club counts five public courts lit with string lights. Club Mérida was founded in July 2020 and opened the Petancódromo a little under a year later, around mid-2021.
Patio Petanca, downtown Mérida
Patio Petanca is a restaurant and bar with pétanque in downtown Mérida, on Calle 53 next to Parque de la Mejorada. Its own site lists hours of 4 PM to 10 PM Wednesday to Friday and 2 PM to 10 PM on weekends.
Winter play
Where clubs play from November to April
In Québec, the Val-des-Arbres club in Laval plays at its indoor site from September to April. Gatineau players spend the winter in a library basement.
Saint-Bernard, Montréal and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu have indoor lanes. In New York, Carreau Club has indoor courts while the Bryant Park courts are seasonal.
Legation Boules Club calls the covered Browning Hangar one of the most dependable year-round venues in Austin. To find a group near you, see the club directory and the public courts page.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a boulodrome?
A boulodrome is a ground laid out specially for playing boules, including pétanque. In Québec the word usually means an indoor center.
How many boulodromes are there in Québec?
The FPQ lists 31 boulodromes for the 2025 season. The list does not say which are indoor or how many lanes each has.
Is there an indoor pétanque venue in New York City?
Carreau Club in Industry City, Brooklyn, opened nine indoor courts on November 4, 2022. The Bryant Park courts in Manhattan are outdoors and seasonal.
Where can I play pétanque indoors in Montréal?
The Boulodrome Albert-Provencher in Pointe-aux-Trembles has 14 indoor lanes and is home to Club Les Boules de l’Île. The club president told La Presse in 2024 that it is the only boulodrome on the island.
What is the Petancódromo in Mérida?
It is Club Mérida’s outdoor playing area in a public park, 24 m long and 6 m wide, opened around mid-2021. With the renovated original court, the club counts five public courts lit with string lights.
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