Saturday, February 3, 2024

Kubb Tournament

The world’s largest winter Kubb tournament
competitive and recreational brackets.

City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival

Part of the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival

View Festival Information »

The Gist:

Saturday, February 3
Bassett’s Creek Park, 110 Penn Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55405

Come on down to Bassett’s Creek Park (intersection of Thomas Ave N & Inglewood Ave N) on Saturday and enjoy the world’s largest winter Kubb tournament. Kubb is a Swedish lawn game, similar to Cornhole or bocce ball in the Midwest. Teams of 3-6 players will compete in a 16 team championship bracket or 64 team recreation bracket. There will be a round-robin stage followed by an elimination stage to determine the champions! Veteran experts may choose the championship bracket while those looking for a more casual experience may choose the popular recreational bracket.

At the tournament will be Gerhards Brats and one free beer for registered participants! Portapotties will be on site at Bassett’s Creek Park and Utepils’ Taproom is a short walk for additional restrooms, a place to warm up, or enjoy a beer indoors.

Updates:

  • 2024 Participant Guide
  • 1/8: Outside alcohol will not be allowed at the event.  The event will follow Minneapolis Park & Rec Board rules and regulations for park property.  We will be providing Utepils beer from 10am – 2pm. Registered participants will receive 1 free beer coupon.

The registration fee is per team. Please choose your registration carefully – the “ticket” you choose determines in which tournament you will play (Championship or Recreational).

There is no in-person registration.

Register Now!
StatusStarting Opening Day 9AM, 10/1/23Starting 11/19/23Starting 12/17/23Starting 1/18/24Closing 11:59AM, 2/2/24
Kubb Tournament - RecreationalOpen$80$80$80$80
Kubb Tournament - ChampionshipOpen$80$80$80$80

Proceeds from the Kubb Tournament benefit the Loppet Foundation. Learn more about the Foundation's mission, vision, and values.

Registration and transaction fees are non-refundable, including in the event of delay, rescheduling, or cancellation of an event or program. An event or program registration is not transferable to another person or another event for any reason, including injury. Participating under another person's name will result in disqualification.

A Note About the Data We Collect

Packet Pick Up

There is no physical packet that needs to be picked up for any Kubb teams. All information regarding schedule and brackets will be emailed out the week of the event, and any needed materials will be given out at the event.

Registration Questions:
registration@loppet.org

First time attending a kubb event or even your first time playing the game kubb? No problem! Check out this helpful FAQ. Pitches will be available the morning of the tournament to learn and play the game. Find one of our Kubb Ambassadors who can explain the game and get you started on the basics before matches start at 10am.

Individuals may only register and participate for one team in one tournament. Playing for another team in your own tournament or the other tournament will result in disqualification of both the individual and team.

Championship Kubb Tournament

Recommended for teams familiar with kubb who aim to beat the best.

The Championship Kubb Tournament will involve group play and a knockout bracket. Team captains will receive specific format information after registration closes.

Recreational Kubb Tournament

Recommended for casual teams or those less familiar with the game of kubb. All are welcome in the Recreational Kubb Tournament!

The Recreational Kubb Tournament is same kubb tournament you’ve come to know and love since 2012 – free beer ticket and all!

Teams are placed in groups of four. Teams must consist of at least three players with a maximum of six players. Not all players on each team are required to throw on every turn, however no single player may throw more than two batons. All matches will follow U.S. Championship Rules. Teams will play three matches in the Round Robin, one against each of the other three teams in their group. Teams will then be seeded into a bracket based on their Round Robin Results. Teams losing their first knockout match are eliminated. Teams are guaranteed 4 matches.

Time Limits

In keeping with our goal of offering a unique kubb experience while maintaining a competitive tournament for participants, time restrictions are necessary to ensure the semifinal and final matches are played on time. Matches not completed by their designated ending times will be determined by the tiebreak rule. All Championship Bracket rounds will start at the designated times listed on the schedule even if both teams from the previous round have advanced. The purpose of this is to avoid excessive downtime for teams if one side of the bracket is getting too far ahead of the other. This will also allow teams finishing early to warm up between matches knowing when their next match will begin.

Tiebreak Scenario

The following explanation is to break a tie in the Round Robin stage to determine which two teams move on to the Championship Bracket if, after all Round Robin matches are complete, a tie exists between three or more teams. Note that the first tiebreak is not games won or head-to-head.

Example:
Teams A, B, and C will compete in a throw-off to determine which teams advance.

TeamWL
Team A21
Team B21
Team C21
Team D03

Throw-off
A throw-off consists of each team throwing 6 shots from their base line trying to knock over as many kubbs as possible. The two teams knocking over the most kubbs will advance to the Championship Bracket. In this example, if Team A knocks over 3 kubbs in the throw-off and Teams B and C both knock over 2 kubbs, Team A will advance to the Championship Bracket as the group winner. Teams B and C would then throw again with the winner moving on to the Championship Bracket as the group runner-up. As is the case for match play, no player may throw more than two batons during a throw-off.

9:00am-9:45am: Check in and warmups

9:45am: Welcome and Captains Meeting

10:00am: Begin Play!

10:00am-2:00pm: Utepils Beer will be on site selling beer and giving you your free beer. Yep, literally right next to the tournament.

2:00pm-finish: The Utepils tent will move over to Utepils but you are still welcome to just walk across the tracks for more fuel and refreshments.

We encourage participants to bike, bus, ski, or walk to the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival events. For those who choose to drive, please read the sections below for information on parking.

Parking at Bassett’s Creek Park

Neighborhood and street parking available.

Championship Bracket

1st Place: $250, King of the Loppet Award, Tournament Medals

2nd Place: $100, Tournament Medals

3rd Place: $50, Tournament Medals

Recreational Bracket

Tournament medals to the 1st-3rd place teams.

Commemorative set from JP’s Backyard Games for 1st place winner.

Awards ceremony for this event will take place in the Kubb competition area immediately after the tournament is over. Must be present to receive a cash awards packet.