American Riviera Classic (2026)

Event:	American Riviera Classic
When:	May 15 - 17, 2026
Where:	Santa Barbara Pickleball Courts 1414 Park Place Santa Barbara, CA 93103 Visit Santa Barbara Pickleball
Description:	Welcome to the 9th Annual American Riviera Classic Pickleball Tournament—Santa Barbara’s premier Pickleball event—hosted in this beautiful coastal town on California’s Central Coast, also known as the American Riviera. This event features Round Robin play with playoffs, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals awarded in each division. We’d love to have you join us for an amazing weekend featuring Santa Barbara Pickleball Shop, various vendors, massage therapists, snacks, fun social area, large raffle section, and a special paddle raffle for more than 20 JOOLA paddles — and of course, lots of great Pickleball!
Events:	Friday, May 15: Women's Doubles Saturday, May 16: Mixed Doubles Sunday, May 17: Men's Doubles
Format:	The American Riviera Classic will be a Round Robin, with the top 4 teams in each division advancing to a single elimination bracket. All doubles matches will be games to 15, except the Gold Medal matches, which will be a 2/3 to 11 format. 3 teams/players: Double Round Robin, games to 15, WinBy2, Bronze, then Gold to follow RR 4 teams/players: Round Robin, games to 15, WinBy2, all advance to Medal Round 5-7 teams/players: Round Robin, games to 15, WinBy2, top 4 advance to medal round 8 or 9 teams: Round Robin in pools, with all teams advancing to the medal bracket. Above formats apply to pool groups. 10 or more teams/players: Round Robin pools, games to 15, WinBy2, top 2 teams from each pool advance to medal round
More Info:	Age levels will be appropriately designated after registration closes. Registration is completed by DUPR skill level. Brackets are listed by skill level - you may register for a higher skill level than yours, with the exception that you must be a minimum 4.5 player to play in the 5.0 brackets. The tournament promises to keep age groups as tight as possible, with a minimum of 4 teams per age division. Groups with less than 4 teams/players may be combined to create viable brackets at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Start times for brackets to be posted on May 12th, subject to change until the day before play. Ratings will be updated when registration closes, and teams that are in a lower bracket than their skill on May 10th will be moved up to the proper brackets. All USAP Rules will be followed. Before arriving, please confirm you are using a USA Pickleball–approved paddle.
Registration:	Tournament registration is handled via Pickleball Tournaments. Click here to register.
Help:	For more information or help with registering, contact our Tournament Coordinators: Barb Kloos: barbk77@cox.net Richard Salzberg: resalzberg@gmail.com
Party time!	Enjoy Santa Barbara’s wonderful restaurants, beaches, large Arts & Craft Fair, Botanic Gardens, hiking, and much more. Friends and spectators—come watch, cheer, and enjoy the weekend! Expect a great day of competition in an unforgettable setting.