Top 10 Picnic Ideas, Tips and Tricks

Top 10 Picnic Do’s and Don’ts: easy picnic ideas that will help you plan the perfect picnic and avoid all the mistakes.

1. Activities

Don’t forget a few fun acitivities to do at the picnic.  Games like bocce ball, ladder ball, corn hole, or even a Frisbee or a kite are great picnic ideas.  Not a fan of games?  How about bringing a good book or a magazine?

2. Food Packaging

Do take care in how you package your food.  There’s nothing worse than a squished sandwich, or a salad that leaks all over everything else, unless of course it’s food poisoning.  Make sure to keep cold food cold with ice and a cooler.  Throw out any leftovers you’re worried about.

3. Colour Scheme and Decor 

Do remember to think about your colour scheme and some flowers even for a picnic.  It’s amazing how adding a few special touches as picnic decor can take the festivities to a whole new level.  Things like real china dishes, glasses, and cloth napkins are a little trickier to transport, but make your picnic feel super luxurious.  These days though, there are lots of beautiful disposable products too, so choose whatever works best for you, but remember to try and co-ordinate it for a pulled together look.

4. Bugs and Avoiding Them

Do remember to bring some bug spray and look out for ants.  As cliche as it might sound, ants at a picnic are no fun, especially if they’re the biting kind.  Bee stings can dampen the mood too.  Remember to look for insects when you pick your picnic spot and avoid them if you can.  But spray can help with mosquitoes, and  something like a citronella candle or coil might be a good addition too.

5. Sun and Shade

Do find some shade.  Too much sun can be a bad thing, remember to bring a sun hat, an umbrella or to look for a shady spot to set up your picnic.  If you’re a sun lover, don’t forget some sun block.

6. Take Out

Do remember that a great option for a picnic, especially if you’re not so into packing up all the food yourself, is takeout.  Pick up food at your favourite restaurant, and bring a blanket for a quick and easy, no fuss picnic.

7. Three Season Picnicking

Do picnic in spring, summer, and fall.  As soon as the weather is warm enough to enjoy being outside, and until it gets frosty can be picnic season.  In the spring and fall especially a waterproof plastic backed blanket might be useful.  As well, a thermos with a hot drink, like tea, coffee, or hot chocolate is a great addition to a spring or fall picnic to warm up if you’re feeling chilly.  

8. BBQ or Campfire

Do bring a portable bbq on your picnic.  An inexpensive mini bbq that uses charcoal or a small portable gas bbq are a great addition to any picnic.  Some parks even have built-in bbqs where you supply the charcoal.  This can take a picnic to a whole new level. In some areas you can also light a fire, which is great for roasting hot dogs or making s’mores too, or staying until it gets dark.

9. Rain Rain Go Away

Do check the weather forecast.  One of the few things that can really ruin is a picnic is rain.  Check the forecast before you head out, and if you’re meeting friends you might want to consider a rain date.  Some parks have pavilions with a roof, which can be great if there’s just a sprinkle.

10. Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?

Don’t forget that picnics are great any time of day -breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  A breakfast picnic is a great way to start off the day.  There’s lots of fun portable breakfast foods like pastries, muffins, fruit and a thermos of coffee.  

With all these great picnic ideas and all the tips and tricks, life really is a party!

More Great Picnic Ideas