Every October the world turns a shade of pink, and the reason is a serious one. Pink October is breast cancer awareness month, and it has quietly become one of the busiest months on the global padel calendar: pink rackets, pink courts, charity doubles from Madrid to Melbourne. This year it lands the same month padel comes to full strength in Uluwatu. Here is what the month is, why the game keeps showing up for it, and how to mark it well in Bali.
The short version: Pink October is breast cancer awareness month, held every October, and padel clubs around the world use it to raise money and awareness through pink-themed matches and charity tournaments. In Bali, the simplest way to take part is to play a match, wear something pink, give to a breast cancer charity, and book the screening you have been putting off.
What is Pink October?
Pink October is the month, every October, when breast cancer charities, hospitals and communities work together to raise awareness of the disease and money for research. It is also called Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink ribbon has been its symbol since 1992, when Evelyn Lauder of Estée Lauder and the editor of SELF magazine handed them out in New York, and it has been the colour of the cause ever since.
The scale is worth stating plainly. In 2022, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide, and roughly 670,000 died from it, which makes it one of the most common cancers on earth. Two dates anchor the month: World Breast Cancer Day on 19 October, and the various "wear it pink" days that clubs and offices hold through the second half of the month. The message underneath all of it is the same and it does not change: check yourself, know your body, and go and get screened.
What does padel have to do with breast cancer awareness?
More than you would think. Padel is a social game by design, played in fours, built around the match and the long drink after, and that makes it a natural fit for a cause that runs on community and turning up. Over the last few years the sport has adopted Pink October with real momentum.
The examples are specific. In Belgium, the padel federation runs an all-women "Pink Padel" day with the profits going to breast cancer research. In Tijuana, a club unveiled the world's first court painted entirely pink, with a share of every booking going to a foundation that supports women in treatment. Medical students in Portugal hold an annual Pink October padel tournament for the national cancer league, and in England players have raised money over a weekend of matches for early-detection charities. None of it is grand. It is people playing the game they already love, on a weekend they would have played anyway, and pointing the proceeds somewhere that matters.
There is a quieter link too. Movement is one of the few things within anyone's control that lowers breast cancer risk. The World Health Organisation recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and women who are regularly active carry roughly a 10 to 20 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who are not. An hour of padel is not medicine, and nobody should pretend it is. But a game that gets people moving three mornings a week, for years, is doing quiet work of its own. If you want the full picture of what an hour on court asks of the body, we wrote about recovery after padel separately.
Why October matters here
For the Bukit, October is a hinge in the year. It is the tail of the dry season, the light goes long and gold in the late afternoon, and the crowds of July and August have thinned without the rains having properly arrived. It is, quietly, one of the best months to be in Uluwatu, and one of the best to play.
It is also the month Azoria Padel Club comes to full strength. The courts open through the autumn and run at full tilt in October, five of them on the clifftop above the coast, which means the house's first proper season and Pink October arrive in the same few weeks. That timing is not lost on us.
When people ask how the house means to mark the month, the honest answer is: the way it marks most things, quietly and by actually doing something. A pink match. A morning of doubles with the entry going to a breast cancer charity rather than a prize. A donation box that stays out after October ends, because the cause does not pack up on the first of November. Nothing loud, nothing turned into a sale. October is not a marketing calendar. For a lot of families it is a month carried differently, and the least a club can do is take that seriously.
How to mark Pink October on court in Bali
You do not need a club to run an event for you. If you want to take part this October, the honest starter list is short.
- Play, and wear something pink. Pick up a racket with pink on it, a pink cap, a ribbon. Book a court and get four people on it. Half the point of the month is visibility, and a pink court in a public feed does more than a silent good intention.
- Give to a breast cancer charity. Round up your court fee, or match it. Give locally in Indonesia through the Yayasan Kanker Payudara Indonesia, or internationally to a research or support charity you trust. The amount matters less than the habit.
- Book the screening. The whole month exists to get people checked. If you have been putting off a mammogram or a self-check, October is the nudge. This is the part that actually saves lives.
- Bring someone new to the game. Padel is the easiest racket sport to start, which makes it the easiest to rally people around. A beginners' Americano, where everyone rotates partners, is the most sociable format going and a soft way to fold new players into the cause.
If you are still working out where to get on court, our guide to where to play padel in Uluwatu covers the clubs on the Bukit, and the piece on the 2026 social season maps the tournaments worth planning a trip around. For the house's own courts and how to play them, the Azoria Padel Club page has the detail, and anything we run for the month will sit on Events.
A month worth keeping
The best version of Pink October is not a hashtag. It is a woman booking the appointment she meant to book in June, a four that gives its court fee away without making a thing of it, and a game that happens to be very good at getting people together for a reason larger than the score. Come October, the light on the Bukit is long, the courts are open, and there is a good reason to be on them. Play well, and pass the reason on.
Frequently asked questions
When is Pink October 2026?
Pink October runs the full month of October 2026, from the 1st to the 31st. World Breast Cancer Day falls on 19 October, and most "wear it pink" fundraising days sit in the second half of the month.
Why is padel associated with breast cancer awareness?
Padel is a social, community-driven sport, which makes it a natural vehicle for a cause built on awareness and turning up. Clubs worldwide hold pink-themed matches and charity tournaments through October, from all-women padel days to courts painted entirely pink, with proceeds going to breast cancer charities.
Does playing padel reduce breast cancer risk?
Padel is not a treatment or a guarantee, but regular physical activity does lower risk. The World Health Organisation recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and active women carry roughly a 10 to 20 percent lower risk of breast cancer than inactive women. Padel is one enjoyable way to hit that.
How can I take part in Pink October in Bali?
Play a match and wear something pink, give to a breast cancer charity such as Yayasan Kanker Payudara Indonesia or an international research fund, book the mammogram or self-check you have been delaying, and bring a new player to the game. Watch a club's Events page for any pink match or charity doubles it runs.
Is Azoria running a Pink October event?
Azoria Padel Club opens on the clifftop in Uluwatu through the autumn, at full strength in October, so its first season and Pink October coincide. The house intends to mark the month with a pink match and giving to the cause, held with restraint. Details will appear on the Events page closer to the time.
Further reading
- World Health Organisation, Breast cancer fact sheet. The global figures, risk factors and the role of physical activity, from the primary authority.
- Breastcancer.org, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A clear, current overview of what the month is and how to take part.
- Susan G. Komen, Exercise and breast cancer risk. The evidence linking regular activity to lower risk, in plain language.
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