Pétanque in the Middle of Lake Balaton – The Festival Ended with a Special Final

Sunday, September 6, concluded with a special sporting event at the 4th Balaton Pétanque and Mölkky Festival: the grand finale of the triples pétanque tournament at the multi-day international event, this time not on a traditional court, but in the middle of Lake Balaton, on the deck of a BAHART ferry. With this, the organizers created a spectacle that became one of the festival’s most memorable moments.

Held between September 2 and 6 in Badacsonytomaj and Keszthely, Balaton Pétanque Festival was more than just a sports competition. In addition to pétanque and mölkky, the event featured family activities, skill challenges, recreational sports, and cultural events. Amateurs and experienced competitors, as well as domestic and international players, took to the court at the festival, so the program combined competition, a community experience, and the atmosphere of Lake Balaton.

Sunday’s program began before noon with the knockout stage of the triples competition. The highlight of the day came at 3:00 p.m. with the triplet final: the final between the three-person teams took place on Lake Balaton, on a special course set up on a BAHART ferry. According to the organizers, the race was realized as an initiative unparalleled even on a global scale, as the final was held on water—a first in the history of petanque.

This year’s highlight of Balaton Pétanque Festival clearly demonstrated that even a traditional sport is capable of spectacular way: this time, petanque simply left the course built on the shore and moved to the middle of Lake Balaton.