The perfect beach picnic can become a fond memory for your family and friends. Even with just a few people coming, planning the beach picnic can be demanding. If an excursion to the best beach is on the calendar, don’t fret.
Create lasting memories by following these tips for a stress-free beach picnic.
1. Choose your beach.
There are plenty of places where families and friends can do picnics. Apart from your typical parks and reserves, beaches offer good spots to spread a blanket and enjoy a lovely meal with loved ones.
2. Pick the day and the time.
A sunny, warm day is generally what’s considered a good day for a picnic. Extreme temperatures ruin a perfectly well-planned picnic.
When should you arrange a picnic?
Check the weather forecast. If you’re planning a picnic during summer when temperatures can reach 45℃, schedule the activity early in the morning or closer to the evening. Temperatures then will be cooler.
Spring typically presents sporadic rains whereas winter offers comfortable and moderate temperatures with occasional rains.
3. Finalise the list of people coming.
Some picnics may be just among family members; others include friends of the family. Your kids may also want to invite their school friends or kids they play with in the neighbourhood. If the list of people coming seems to be growing, get confirmation from everyone.
You’ll want to make sure that the beach is the right location for this big picnic; that you’ll have enough essentials to cover everyone, including food and drinks.
4. Create a checklist of essentials to bring.
Once you have a finalised list of people coming, come up with a checklist of essentials. This way, you don’t forget anything when you leave home.
What should you bring for this beach picnic?
Group your list according to:
- Essentials – sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, and hats, first aid kit, napkins or wetwipes, cool towels, and trash bags.
- Entertainment – board games, portable speakers (just make sure you’re not disturbing the other beachgoers, frisbee or volleyball.
- Seating and shade – beach chairs, a tent or umbrellas, and a large blanket.
- Storage – cooler for the food and drinks that need to be kept cold or a carry-all with insulation for items that need to be kept warm.
- Plates and utensils – reusable plates, glasses, and utensils.
If you’re not able to bring everything, assign an item or two to your guests, as you would in a potluck.
If you plan to do a picnic during winter or at sunset, consider bringing blankets and lanterns as well.
5. Use seasonal produce.
During the cool season, you’ll find a lot of tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, carrots, and cucumbers. For the warm season, groceries will have plenty of watermelons, pumpkins, eggplants, and dates.
When coming up with your dishes for the beach picnic, why not use seasonal produce for the mains and the snacks. Seasonal vegetables and fruits tend to be more affordable since they’re in abundance. They’ll also taste better and retain their nutritional values longer.
You can serve a fresh platter of fruits, create a charcuterie board that features these seasonal produce, or make light sandwiches that hero in-season vegetables.
6. Consider other people’s dietary restrictions.
Pasta salad, hummus with crudités, baba ganoush, sandwiches, and falafel are just a few of the typical picnic dishes. But maybe someone in your family is allergic to an ingredient or is a vegetarian.
The beauty of a picnic, other than eating outdoors on the beach, is sharing a meal with your favourite people. It would not be fun for everyone if a couple people are only able to eat one dish.
Make sure to consider dietary restrictions before deciding on what dishes to bring.
7. Bring easy-to-assemble food.
You can be considerate of other people’s dietary restrictions, but that doesn’t mean you need to overwhelm yourself with too much food preparation. You wouldn’t want to arrive at the beach and fuss over prepping the dishes.
You’ll want to bring dishes that are easy to make, from a vibrant pasta salad to savoury sandwiches. If no one is allergic to nuts, trail mix would make a perfect snack; if someone is, try a focaccia bread with a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip in. Baba ganoush or hummus with crudités will make a fantastic appetizer.
For dessert, bring frozen treats like popsicles and ice cream sandwiches for a refreshing finish to a lovely and satisfying picnic. Make sure to bring a good ice box or cooler to keep these treats cool. If you’re going to bring a lot of cold stuff, choose a cooler with wheels so that it’s easy to take from your car to the picnic spot.
8. Keep it comfortable and entertaining.
Finally, picnics should be comfortable and fun. So you’ll want to plan for a relaxed but entertaining picnic at the beach.
Get everyone to help arrange your picnic spread; some people will want to just sit on the blanket and others will prefer to sit on the beach chairs. Older adults or seniors will need a comfortable chair, so they can easily get up and sit.
For a daytime picnic, you may want to set up the umbrellas to provide a cool retreat from the sun. If the picnic is at sunset and may go late into the evening, keep the blankets handy when the air gets cool.
You could set up two picnic areas: one for eating and socialising and the other for lounging. This set up would be ideal for big groups. If someone wants to take a nap or read a book, the space is already set up for them to do it.
You’re outdoors, so encourage the kids to play games, from volleyball to kit flying.
Keeping guests entertained doesn’t have to mean coming up with a packed schedule. Sometimes, the best beach picnics happen when you give everyone a comfortable space to relax, laugh, and enjoy the sound of the waves.
