The USTA will give away free ice cream and other US Open “surprises” at tennis courts in each of the five boroughs next week as part of the build up to the eagerly anticipated grand slam event in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, with a giveaway event slated for Astoria Park on Aug. 21.
The US Open’s first-ever “roving ice cream truck” will be giving away free chocolate and vanilla soft serve, ice pops and other surprises and sweet treats at public courts throughout the city, which the USTA describes as the “heartbeat” of tennis in New York City.
The ice cream truck will be coming to the Astoria Park Tennis Courts between 3 and 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21, to bring a week of free ice cream to a close.
The inaugural giveaway event will take place at the New York Junior Tennis & Learning facility at the Cary Leeds Center in the Bronx between 12 noon and 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, with an event planned for the Riverside Park Tennis Courts on the Upper West Side between 1 and 6 p.m. on Aug. 18. The ice cream truck will travel to Brooklyn’s McCarren Park between 1-6 p.m. on Aug. 19, with a giveaway at Staten Island’s Silver Lake Tennis Courts between 1-6 p.m. on Aug. 20.
Separately, the USTA has announced a free week-long activation at Hudson Yards to coincide with the first week of the US Open main draw between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, offering an opportunity to play tennis-themed video games and take part in tennis challenges – all while catching some of the action from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The US Open Experience at Hudson Yards, situate at Hudson Yards’ Main Plaza near the Vessel, will open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily and aims to recreate the atmosphere at the famous tennis venue for fans who cannot make it to Flushing Meadows.
Visitors will be able to pick up a racquet and sample red-ball tennis on 40-by-20-foot courts, while the activation’s “Advantage Arena” will allow fans to sample tennis-themed video games across titles such as Roblox, Fortnite, Tennis Clash, and TIEBREAK – Grand Slam Edition.
Meanwhile, the Player Tunnel and Champion’s Photo Experience will allow fans to recreate the entrance players make at Arthur Ashe Stadium and sample the atmosphere at the famous arena.
The USTA will also be bringing a number of iconic USTA experiences to Hudson Yards for the week, including its famed Honey Deuce cocktails and a US Open Merchandise Store.
The activation will also feature daily Sunset Sessions between 5-8 p.m., offering a lineup of official US Open DJs spinning live every evening, and a live “US Open Theme Art Creation,” which will see the tournament’s official theme artist Eugenia Mello paint a rendition of the US Open theme – “Celebrating Our New York Story.” The live art experience will take place across the first two days of the activation.
Fans will also be able to catch all of ESPN’s US Open coverage on the big screen throughout the week.
Nicole Kankam, managing director of Pro Tennis Marketing & Entertainment with the USTA, said the organization is seeking to bring the “authentic” US Open experience to as many New Yorkers as possible with the new activations.
“Celebrating our New York Story’ is about honoring the deep-rooted connection between the US Open, the city we call home and, most importantly, the fans,” Kankam said in a statement. “Each of these activations will deliver first-time and long-time fans the energy, the excitement and spirit of the US Open in so many new and exciting ways, all with New York City as the unmistakable backdrop.”
The USTA will also be launching a new five-episode competition series on the official USTA YouTube channel – “Rally the Boroughs” – which will see three teams of tennis enthusiasts traverse the city while solving clues, taking on tennis challenges and meeting local tennis icons. The new series will premiere on YouTube on Aug. 15.
The US Open will begin with Fan Week on Aug. 23, offering a week-long series of fan experiences at the National Tennis Center before the start of the competition’s main draw on Aug. 30.
