Katy Perry & Friends Host Inaugural Light up the Court Pickleball Tournament

On October 22, Katy Perry & Friends hosted the first annual Light Up The Court Pickleball Tournament at the Montecito Club in Katy's hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. All proceeds from the event will benefit Firework Foundation. Founded in 2019 by Katy and her sister, Angela Lerche, the foundation's mission is to empower children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. 

The tournament kicked off with a round robin of players that included Jason Collins, Kate Hudson, James Valentine, Lauren Sanchez, Corey Gamble, Meghan Trainor, Daryl Sabara, Rob Lowe and John Owen Lowe, local pickleball enthusiasts and several top professional pickleball players – Federico Staksrud, Mary Brascia, Maggie Brascia and Thomas Wilson. After Eric Geeb and Brett Williams took the championship title in the 2023 Light Up The Court Pickleball Tournament, they played a match against Mary Brascia and Thomas Wilson.

Topping off the event, which was produced by Ngoc Nguyen (Nguyen Strategies), was a mic'd exhibition that pitted Katy and Federico Staksrud against Orlando Bloom and Maggie Brascia. After an intensely close match, Team Katy emerged victorious 13-11.

Celsius sponsored the VIP Players Lawn and other event sponsors included Stanley, The Pick, Malk Milk, CRBN and Selkirk, which gave guests a chance to preview their unreleased LUXX paddles and Pro S1 balls, which won't be on the market until later this year. Guests enjoyed sipping on De Soi, Cascade, Amass and Avaline and had the opportunity to bid on a Moke vehicle that was auctioned off.

Camp counselors from Firework Foundation's Camp Firework were on hand to distribute custom camper designed Katy Perry Collections shoes, and share information about the organization's marquee initiative, a 3-day sleep-away experience in nature where up to 90 kids are provided a space to discover their spark through artistic programming and bring that sparkle home to their communities.

The foundation has also partnered with organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, LAAMP (founded by Stargate, Katy's collaborators on “Firework”), Young Producers Group and FIDM on music and mentorship programs and, for camp alumni, leaders-in-training programs. Katy and Angela were interviewed in this Firework Foundation segment from the Lifetime special about Variety's 2022 “Power of Women: The Changemakers.”

ABOUT FIREWORK FOUNDATION:

Founded by Katy Perry and her sister Angela Lerche, the Firework Foundation's mission is to empower children from underserved communities by igniting their inner light through the arts. Through impactful events and programs such as the annual Camp Firework, which launched in 2019, the Firework Foundation creates environments where kids can discover their spark through a variety of art specialties as well as traditional camp activities and bring that sparkle home to their communities.

During the school year, Firework Foundation also partners with local Los Angeles-area Boys & Girls Clubs to bring supplemental artistic programming to after-school care. The Firework Foundation also supports youth-serving organizations with donations to programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Rock N Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles, MOXI - The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, Santa Barbara Foundation, Baby2Baby and more. For more information, visit fireworkfoundation.org and follow @fireworkfoundation.

ABOUT KATY PERRY:

Katy Perry is the biggest-selling female artist in Capitol Records history and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having racked up a cumulative 101 billion streams alongside worldwide sales of over 68 million adjusted albums and 139 million tracks. She was the first artist in RIAA history to earn three RIAA Diamond Song Awards – for “Firework,” “Dark Horse” and “Roar.” “California Gurls” (feat. Snoop Dogg) recently brought Katy her fourth Diamond Song Award.  

When the official videos for “Dark Horse” and “Roar” each surpassed three billion views, Katy became the first female artist to reach this milestone. Katy's 2015 Super Bowl performance is one of the highest rated in the event's history.

Aside from being a globally successful artist, Katy is an active advocate of many philanthropic causes. As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for over a decade, Katy has used her powerful voice to ensure every child's right to health, education, equality, and protection. 

Katy is also a longtime champion for LGBTQ+ equality and has received numerous awards for her work, including the Trevor Project's Hero Award in 2012, UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2016, the Human Rights Campaign's National Equality Award in 2017, amfAR's Award of Courage in 2018, and Variety's Power of Women distinction in 2021 for her work with her own foundation, the Firework Foundation. 

Katy has similarly focused her entrepreneurial flair towards her eponymous shoe line, Katy Perry Collections, as well as selective companies working to improve health and wellness. She sits on the Board of Bragg, makers of the celebrated Apple Cider Vinegar, was an early backer of Impossible Foods, the plant-based meat producer, and is an active investor in Apeel Sciences, a company focused on plant-derived shelf-life extension technology for fresh produce that improves quality and reduces food waste, and Samsara, an enviro-tech company creating infinite recycling to end plastic pollution.

Most recently, Katy co-founded De Soi, a line of sparkling ready-to-drink non-alcoholic apéritifs with natural adaptogens, in partnership with AMASS, maker of clean botanicas.

Currently, Katy is in her sixth consecutive season as a judge on “American Idol” and, simultaneously, performing her Las Vegas residency, PLAY. Show dates are available at www.katyperry.com/tour.

Photo Credit: Bacon & Eggs

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