Here’s the lowdown on time, place, and controversies of this inaugural event for the ages.
An advertisement for Philadelphia’s first-ever Parallel Parking Championship (photo courtesy the Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association)
We now have all the details about the first-ever Philadelphia Parallel Parking Championship, organized by the Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association. Yes, the PPPA. (We had a good laugh, too.)
PPA executive director Adam Wodka told us on Sunday that the competition has thus far received 800 applications, and there’s still time to submit. Eventually, the PPPA will whittle this pool down to just 20 drivers who want to be named the best parallel parker in Philadelphia.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a challenge to limit it to 20,” says Wodka. “The PPPA executive board has divided up the applications, and we’ve been going through one by one. We’re rating people based on their experience, their confidence, and we’re also looking for diversity across the neighborhoods of the city.”
Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association executive director and Philadelphia Parallel Parking Championship founder Adam Wadka trying his best to parallel park his Prius in South Philadelphia (photo provided)
Wodka explains that the board is going to find five to 10 people who have guaranteed slots and then, in the coming weeks, let the public decide who the other applicants will be by releasing videos of the applicants on the PPPA Instagram.
Competitors will be judged in three categories: “one shot,” “tight squeeze,” and “under duress.”
For one shot, you pull back, pull into the spot, move forward, and then officials will measure how close to the curb you are.
For tight squeeze, organizers will move the cars on either side of you, based on the size of your car, to see how well you do getting into a small spot while remaining within 6 inches from the curb.
But “under duress” has to be our favorite. Imagine a car behind you honking incessantly, someone screaming from the curb that they were saving that spot for their wife, maybe a person on an e-bike damaging your calm… you get the idea.
Once the judges pick the top three from those rounds, those competitors will head to the final. They’ll be judged on form, flair, and style. And the winner will be the 2026 Philadelphia Parallel Parking Champion. No cash prize. It’s all about bragging rights. There may be some trophies.
A few details are still up in the air.
All proceeds of the contest will go to a local nonprofit; the PPPA is meeting with the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia later this week to try to align with that organization. They are also trying to line up sponsorships once they lock down the recipient organization.
Another issue to be addressed is how to level the playing field based on what cars the competitors are driving. If responses on social media are anything to go by, this is something people are worried about. They want to know if back-up cameras will be allowed. The answer is yes, for now. But Wodka says he doesn’t think back-up cameras will help that much. As for newer technology in some cars — where sounds and haptics let you know how close you are to objects — that’s not really on Wodka’s radar: He drives a 2011 Toyota Prius. Such questions will be resolved by the PPPA executive board, but for now he’s enjoy the fact that people on social are debating such points.
“I like the controversy of it all,” he says.
After all, a Philadelphia parallel parking contest wouldn’t be a Philadelphia parallel parking contest without a little attitude.
Victor Fiorillo
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