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How to pack the perfect picnic: Create a luxe picnic (bonus free checklist!)

Picnics are a fabulous way to connect with family and friends amongst nature. They’ve been enjoyed for centuries and with spring around the corner, there’s never been a better time to start planning a picnic.

For those of us who don’t picnic often, the thought of getting all the stuff you need together may seem too hard… but it isn’t, and it’s totally worth the effort. Unless you attempt to take young kids with you… we can’t make any guarantees there!

To inspire you to get picnicking, we’ve created this guide on how to pack the perfect picnic with a bonus free checklist.

Related article: How to create an outdoor cinema
Related article: How to make a waterproof picnic rug in minutes (and without a sewing machine!)

Comfort first

It’s hard to enjoy a picnic when you’re uncomfortable so we suggest starting with the things you need to picnic in style:

  • a large picnic blanket (and you can find our DIY version here)
  • scatter cushions
  • an outdoor umbrella if you won’t be going to a shady area (or wear sun hats).

If you really want to get fancy, you can also find stylish sling chairs.

DIY picnic rug

Put on a gourmet spread

Next up, we recommend getting your foods packed. You can’t go wrong with an antipasto style grazing board or charcuterie.

Best foods for a gourmet grazing board:

  • mix of soft and hard cheeses (brie, goat cheese, and cheddar are our faves)
  • variety of deli meats (prosciutto, salami, capocollo are popular options)
  • olives
  • variety of crackers
  • nuts (pistachio, macadamia, almonds or walnuts)
  • dried fruits (dried apricots or figs are most popular)
  • fresh fruits (strawberries, blueberries, grapes or figs)
  • extra ideas include quince paste, fresh honeycomb, pickles or pretzels.
Picnic feature

The trick to making a great grazing board is to mix salty and sweet, soft and crunchy, and fresh produce with cured. Find even more tips on how to create an amazing grazing board here.

To make it easier to eat, we recommend using a few smaller bowls (that grey one below is from Freedom) to keep things like olives, fresh honeycomb or quince paste contained. Be sure to pack cheese knives too!

If cheese isn’t your thing, you can also opt for a sandwich style picnic or dessert picnics are also fun.

Cutting cheese
Ice bucket and charcuterie board

Don’t forget the drinks and something to keep them cool

Picnicking and enjoying a beverage go hand in hand, don’t they?! Whether it’s homemade lemonade or something spiked, packing drinks is essential. And because we live in a warm climate, so too is packing something to keep them cool.

For this picnic, I used a decorative bowl as an ice bucket — I love how it tied into the colour scheme of this setting. If it isn’t practical for you to bring an ice bucket and ice, you can also find a range of cooler bags online.

Picnic in the bush
Pepper Tree wine

Shop picnic essentials

Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket

Cutlery and plates

Now that you’ve got your food and drinks sorted, let’s not forget all the essentials to enjoy them!

Wherever possible, we try to reduce waste so using a picnic basket with reusable plates and cutlery appeals to us. We bought this basket from Bed Bath N’ Table or Temple & Webster has a great range of picnic baskets.

If you will be using single use cutlery and plates, consider ditching plastic in favour of more environmentally-friendly plates and cups that are made from renewable materials.

Other picnic essentials to pack:

  • a sharp knife
  • cheese knives (we mentioned these earlier but you can never be too safe!)
  • a bottle opener
  • napkins.
Picnic set for two

Add ambience

Picnics can be so much more than just enjoying a meal outside. Why not bring along some games or music, or create a special setting where you can enjoy the company of your special someone for hours? To make your picnic extra special, there are a few thoughtful additional things you could pack.

Add ambience to your picnic using:

Other essentials

You’ve packed almost everything but here are some things that are often forgotten.

Essential items to pack for for outdoor activities or picnics:

  • spare containers to put leftover foods
  • plastic bags to put dirty dishes for wash up and to take all of your rubbish with you
  • paper towel (or spare napkins)
  • sunscreen
  • hats (also helps to keep your hair out of your face if it’s windy)
  • bug spray (this Bushman bug spray smells divine).
Bushman bug spray

Shop picnic essentials

Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Non-alcoholic sparkling wine
Picnic table
Picnic table
Green throw
Green throw
Picnic basket
Picnic basket
Wine glasses
Wine glasses
Picnic basket
Picnic basket

We summarised everything you need to pack for the perfect picnic into a handy checklist! Click on this image to download our free picnic packing PDF or save it to your Pinterest account so you can find it when you need it.

We hope this guide on how to pack the perfect picnic inspires you to get picnicking! Do you have any other tips on what to bring to a picnic?

Find more entertaining ideas

How to pack the perfect picnic in the bush
How to pack for the perfect picnic

Photography by Thorson Photography

Disclaimer: This post was first published in February 2021. It contains some affiliate links. This means that when you click on a link and purchase something from that site, we may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Gina Beschorner Style Curator

Welcome to Style Curator, your destination for daily interiors inspiration, styling tips, reno advice, home tours and DIY projects!

We're on a mission to help you create a home you love. And with plenty of tips and tricks, tutorials and other home inspo, we give you all the tools to achieve it!

I’m Gina, Founder and Interior Designer, and you can read more about Style Curator here.

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