Petanque at Chelsea Physic Garden

What do you get if you combine a 1920s French Riviera theme, some classic French cocktails, a jolly good game of boules and one of the most gorgeous and peaceful locations in central London?  The Ricard Petanque Garden Party at the Chelsea Physic Garden, of course!  And it’s booked into the diary for Saturday 18 June.

Now, from my perspective there are several factors that contribute to the amazingness potential here. The first is the theme. You don’t have to dress up, but what with all the pretty vintage summer dresses in the shops at the moment and the lovely weather (fingers crossed it comes back; yes, sky, I’m looking at you), who wouldn’t want to don a panama hat and get summery? I love a good theme, me; I’m sure you’re getting that.

The next is the Chelsea Physic Garden. Have you heard of it? Quite possibly not, and perhaps the regular visitors to the garden would like it kept that way because it’s a remarkably lovely and relaxing garden, amid the London chaos, with a fascinating history – it was founded in 1673, and was used as the Apothecaries’ Garden, where various healing herbs were grown. It’s also usually £8 to get in, but for the Ricard Petanque Garden Party, entrance is free!  That in itself makes it a party worth going to, in my opinion.

Another factor is, of course, cocktails. French cocktails, at that. I’m not going to lie; I was already interested right then and there. We don’t need to dwell on that, do we?

But the final and possibly most important part is the petanque competition. Now, you’ve probably played petanque, or something similar to it, on your summer holidays to the south of France (don’t pretend you didn’t go there on a family holiday as a child. We all did. Some of us still do). This is your opportunity to be terribly continental, pretend you’re doing something energetic when you’re actually not, and engage in a little friendly competition. And it is a competition.

There will be a petanque tournament going on for those who consider themselves rather adept at throwing balls across the grass in an accurate fashion. The winning team gets three pairs of Eurostar tickets and runners-up get two-year memberships to the Chelsea Physic Garden which, if you didn’t pick it up from my use of exclamation marks before, is a rather pricey affair otherwise.

So there it is. Several hundred people were at last year’s party; this year is shaping up to be a good one, too. The day runs from 11am – and you can register your petanque team any time from then onwards – through the afternoon, so head on down. And while you’re at it, if we could all do a collective wish for sunshine, it wouldn’t hurt.

Chelsea Physic Garden
66 Royal Hospital Road
Chelsea
SW3 4HS