HOPE Volleyball Summerfest returns to the sand at Mooney's Bay

The largest beach volleyball tournament in Canada returned to Ottawa on Saturday after a break during the pandemic.

The HOPE Volleyball Summerfest wasn’t as big as previous years, but hundreds still showed up to compete in games and enjoy the beach party.

"It’s great, we are having an amazing time with everyone and meeting new people," said Gillian Henderson, who was competing in the tournament for the first time. "It’s just really nice to be out enjoying this beautiful Saturday."

The afternoon forecast included a temperature of more than 30 degrees with humidity, making it critical for athletes to stay cool and drink a lot of water.

"The weather is good, good friends, good people, and the Gatorades are cold," said Gerry Boulet, who was competing with friends.

The HOPE Volleyball Summerfest executive director said numbers dropped this year, but it was still a great turnout with 5,800 players and 500 volunteers.

"We typically sell a thousand teams and this year we sold 580 teams, but that’s still a really good year and it’s still the world's largest volleyball tournament," said Laura Andrews, executive director for the event.

Those on the sand courts were happy to return to the game after a break during the pandemic.

"We were surprised at how many people were here and how big it was," said Laura Andrews, who was at the event with friends. "It was kind of nice being in an outdoor environment with a lot of people."

The tournament included musical performances and live entertainment.

The event will benefit multiple charities, including Children at Risk and the Shelter Movers.

Organizers say they won’t know the final amount raised until a week after the event, but they hope to raise at least $250,000.