Lawn bowls is the latest sport with a somewhat stuffy reputation to get an informal makeover (see also golf). Barefoot bowls is an Australian spin on the traditional game, with added music, drinking and chatting – and, as the name implies, minus the shoes. Now one group has brought it to the UK. The third London event takes place on Friday in Finsbury Square, with teams of four competing (in a laid-back way) on the grass. Craft beer, street food, DJs and palm trees provide distractions for those who aren’t taking it too seriously; expert help is at hand for those who are.

It isn’t just a bit of fun. The organisers, Will Goy and Sam Parton, hope to change perceptions of the sport and highlight the fact that most bowling greens in the UK face closure unless they can find new members. This year’s London events are test cases; Goy and Parton’s ultimate goal is to roll out this version of the sport nationwide. Next year, there will be a series of events in Bristol, and there has been interest from bowling greens all over the UK, from Scotland to Anglesey to Gloucester. Other, smaller bowls groups have tried a similar concept, but Barefoot Bowls is the only organisation to partner with Bowls England to grow the sport. They have even signed up double Commonwealth champion Ellen Falkner to give tuition.

“Barefoot Bowls completely challenges the stigma and perception around lawn bowls,” says Parton. “It’s great because it is inclusive, low-cost and there are plenty of places to play it all over the country which badly need a new audience.”

But this isn’t the only casual bowls-related fun on offer. In London, there are lots of options: Roof East, a bar in Stratford, east London, has a popup rooftop petanque pitch (today is the final day of play). Baranis, a cocktail bar in central London, has a free indoor court; L’Entrepot, a restaurant in Dalston, east London, has a temporary basement pitch; Hay’s Galleria, an arcade on the Southbank, has a permanent covered pitch; and there are pubs offering outdoor boules, such as the Prince of Wales in Kennington, south London. There is even an annual international tournament, the Londonaise in Islington, north London, where fancy dress is encouraged.

Informal bowls – or boules, or petanque – is available in other parts of the country, too. Plenty of seaside towns have pitches, such as the seafront one in Brighton. Lots of country pubs have them, including the Plough Inn in Wrington, Somerset; the Anchor Inn in Oldbury-on-Severn, Bristol; the Gate Hangs Well in Syston, Leicestershire; or the Tollgate Inn in Holt, Wiltshire. If you get the bug, you can find a club to join at petanque.co.uk. And even if there isn’t a proper pitch near you, you could always buy a cheap boules set (John Lewis has one for £8), head to the park and enjoy a game. Shoes optional – and don’t let the endless rain stop play.

• More information at barefootbowls.co.uk

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