4th July – 22nd August 2011
Having launched in London last Summer, Ping! which saw 100 ping-pong tables pop up across London’s landmarks, is back this Summer – this time with a new addition, The Travelling Ping Pong Parlour, which will tour from London to launch the events in both Birmingham and Hull.
50,000 Londoners got involved in Ping! last year. This year they will be passing on the mantle to the people of Birmingham and Hull from 4th July to 22nd August, marking the second of a three-year, free-of-charge national event made possible by National Lottery funding.
The Travelling Ping Pong Parlour is a one-stop, pop-up table tennis social club that comes complete with table tennis tables, bats of different shapes and sizes, seating for onlookers to watch spectacular matches from – and has a window from which to issue refreshments to thirsty players. Willing players will be able to take on ETTA (English Table Tennis Association) professionals in a ‘Beat the Champ’ competition to win prizes.
The Travelling Ping Pong Parlour will drive from London on the 4th July to launch Ping! Brum on 8th July, 11am – 6pm, in Victoria Square. Here 55 tables will be installed across the city from Hippodrome to Cadbury World, Moor St Station to even one in Spaghetti Junction. The Travelling Ping Pong Parlour will then launch Ping! Hull on 22nd July on Open Weekend at Queen Victoria Square,11am – 6pm, where 45 tables will be placed across the city from Queen Victoria Gardens to Paragon Station, Hollywood Bowl to the Museum Quarter.
Touring towns and cities on the way, other stop off points for the van will include: Leicester, Nottingham , Sheffield, Leeds, Harrogate (where the van will stop off at Betty’s for a tea break) and York.
Travelling Ping Pong Parlour Schedule:
• London, Various Locations, 4th July – 10am-6pm
• Birmingham, Victoria Square, 8th July – 11am-6pm
• Leicester, Humberston Gate, 9th July – 10am-6pm
• Nottingham, Smithy Row, 12th July, 11am-5pm
• Sheffield, Sheffield Pride, 16th July, 1pm-7pm
• Leeds, Victoria Gardens, 18th July, 12-6pm
• Harrogate, Prospect Crescent, 19th July, 11am – 6pm
• York, Tower Gardens, 20th July, 11 – 6pm
• Hull, Queen Victoria Square, 22nd July, 11- 6pm
The Travelling Ping Pong Parlour will run alongside a schedule of activities and events held in conjunction with each of the 100 tables placed across Birmingham and Hull. Marked ‘Stop and Play’, the tables are up for four weeks for all to enjoy. Bats and balls are supplied; just borrow a bat from the side of the table to join in!
Top Ping! Events this Summer:
• Ping! Birmingham Launch – 8th July, 11am-6pm,Victoria Square. Come and play in the square! Watch: ping pong jugglers, play on the tables and listen to Ping! a performance piece, which involves table tennis and a string quartet, currently being developed for the Cultural Olympiad by the Coull Quartet.
• Ping! Hull Launch – 22nd July, 11am-6pm, Queen Victoria Square.
• Ping Pong Parlour – Wed-Sat, 12pm -8pm, 37 Corporation Street, Birmingham – a table tennis social club sporting unusual tournaments from Brains vs Brawn to film screenings and ping pong portraits.
• Ping Pong Parlour – Wed – Saturdays 12pm-8pm, 28 Paragon Street, Hull, a table tennis social club sporting unusual tournaments from Brains vs Brawn to film screenings and ping pong portraits.
• Bat –making session – July 30th from 2pm – 4pm Ping Pong Parlour, Hull –. Pimp your paddle!
• Beginners Sessions – Every Saturday- 2pm to 4pm Trinity Square, Hull. – Never picked up a bat? Ping Pong skills a little rusty? Come along top our free coaching sessions.
• Pingtecture! – Birmingham – 29th July – MADE – 5-7pm a showcase of tables designed by architects
• Generation Game, Chinese Community Centre, Birmingham – Thursday 28th July from 1pm to 4.30pm. Play against your Auntie or Granny in a game that will see who has got the gift in your family.
• King! Ping – The Final Tournaments. 7th August, Birmingham and 21st August, Hull. Who’s the best player in the city? Look on the website for further details.
Designed by participatory arts organisation Sing London in partnership with ETTA (English Table Tennis Association), Ping! is sponsored by Puma throughout 2011, a company who love ping-pong. To celebrate the partnership Puma will launch a Special Edition, Ping! branded table tennis shoe called the TT Super.
Ping! is supported by National Lottery investment from Sport England, as part of its work to deliver a mass participation legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
2012 will see Ping! Hosted in London once again, as well as two further cities, just in time for the Olympics.
Meera Sodha, Ping! Project Manager says:
“Putting a ping pong table on the street gives people a chance to connect with other people and the city around them. Suddenly everyone is talking, playing, smiling and having fun – it generates an enormous sense of well being.”
Richard Yule, ETTA’s Chief Executive, says:
“Table tennis is on the up in this country and the ETTA are delighted to be working with Sing London on this next phase of the project – so, just pick up a bat and have fun!”
Thomasin Hummerstone Marketing Manager Puma UK said
“The great thing about Table Tennis is it doesn’t require a lot of skill or performance gear to be able to pick up a bat and have a laugh….Ping is a project that we simply had to
get involved in; here at Puma we believe that playing a sport should actually involve playing and Ping! goes a long way to prove that”.
By Ping!