A couple weekends ago, I gathered a few of my friends (Whitney, Jasmine, and Liana) and invited them to a picnic in Central Park! Now that the weather is getting nicer and nicer, picnics are an easy way to gather a bunch of friends together, especially if you don’t have a lot of space in your house or apartment to host. Here are a few tips for how to host a stress free picnic in Central Park, or in any park!
Pick the Right Location
Central Park is HUGE, and it can be overwhelming to decide on a picnic location if you’ve never done it before. Most people picnic on The Great Lawn, but it’s actually a terrible picnic spot because 1. there’s no shade and 2. it’s super crowded! Cherry Hill is a quieter section of the park, plus it has a ton of trees for shade and is near a bridge and canal which offer cute photo opps.
Try a Sunset Picnic
I love kids, I really do. But if you’re not trying to have kids run up and through your picnic setup, consider an evening picnic, starting at 5 or 6 pm, so you can avoid kids and the daytime heat. Plus you’ll be able to catch the sunset from your prime view in Cherry Hill!
Use a Picnic Delivery Service
I had no idea these existed until I realized I had NO CLUE what kinds of foods to pack for a picnic, but there are picnic delivery services that will deliver food, blankets, and even activities for a completely stress free picnic in Central Park! I used Perfect Picnic NYC which set up this super cute picnic complete with pillows and parasols, fresh fruits and vegetables, serverware, and drinks! The best part is that after the two hour rental, they came and cleaned it all up!! Definitely worth the money versus buying a ton of food and drinks, plates and cups, and then struggling to haul it all throughout the park.
Bring Games or Magazines
All good hostesses know you need a few party games, so you could bring a fun card games like Black Card Revoked or even just a deck of cards (this one features all black female historical figures!). If you’re trying to create a more laid back vibe, bring a few magazines for people to casually flip through. Black women are on the cover of a bunch of magazines right now, but there are also seasonal magazines like CRWN, Tonal, and Radiant made for and by black women in particular!
Plan a few Cocktails
Last but not least, what’s a picnic without some cocktails? (Hint: it’s still a picnic lol) Alizé provided the liqueur for my picnic, and I created two cocktails using just a few ingredients. The Golden Spice was a crowd favorite, here’s the recipe! If you don’t want to bother mixing cocktails, wine is also a good option, just don’t forget a wine opener! And also remember to hydrate, alternate, and drink responsibly!
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It has been so long since I have been to or hosted a picnic, I’ll have to do that this summer! Thanks for sharing!
They’re so fun and carefree! Def a summer must-to
I have neither hosted nor gone on a picnic before, and i’d really love to! The environment and setting is so beautiful…you needed to have seen me grinning at the pictures…so lovely!
I never hosted a picnic before. I thought at first that it was for you and Jonathan but it seems fun hosting girlfriends. The food looks good but the center piece beverage of choice is not for me. My parents didn’t drink and that is one pattern I follow today. I’m loving the brown skinned in this post enjoying a day in the park.