Picnics are amazing, aren’t they?
Imagine this: the sun shining brightly, a soft cloth laid over fresh blades of grass, and a picnic basket filled with delightful treats.
Moving your dining experience to the outdoors into nature’s embrace has something hypnotizing that cannot be ignored. It’s as if the universe has thrown a party and all were invited—the birds and bees, the leaves, and of course your merry clans of picnic-goers!
So let’s look at some fun summer picnic catering ideas for an unforgettable outdoor family escapade!
The Picnic Menu
The most important part of any picnic is the food. Before planning anything else, you need to come up with a great picnic menu that you and your fellow picnic-goers will enjoy.
So here are a few summer picnic catering ideas for your menu:
1. Keep the starters light and refreshing
Start off your picnic with a beautiful spread of light appetizers that will set the right tone for your picnic. Throw in a colorful bowl of various fresh fruits such as watermelon, strawberry, and peach to give your fellow picnickers a refreshing start to their meal.
Also, make sure to add a tasty veggies platter with a selection of crunchy veggies along with some delicious dips. As a rule of thumb, try to keep the appetizers as light as possible—you don’t want your fellow picnickers to feel full before the main course!
2. Kick off the main course
Once the appetizers are all gone, it’s time for the long-awaited main course! Some great additions to the main course include roast beef in gravy, stuffed banana peppers, a selection of sandwiches (a picnic favorite), and mac and cheese for the kids.
If you’re looking for some vegetarian options, veggie lasagna, roast potatoes, green beans almondine, mixed seasonal vegetables, and green beans with baby carrots are all good choices.
You could also opt for some traditional picnic favorites, like hot dogs and hamburgers. These dishes can be proportioned pretty easily and you won’t have to worry about an arduous cleanup later.
3. Complement the main dish with sides
Side dishes shouldn’t overwhelm your main course, but only complement it by adding something extra. Some great side dishes include salads, like chicken or garden salad.
Also, the star of any well-balanced picnic meal is potato salad—a favorite of picnickers everywhere! One of the best things about dishes like potato salad is that they can be served at room temperature, making this a solid side dish for almost any main course at picnics.
4. Give the picnic a sweet ending
No picnic is quite complete without some sweet treats! You don’t need anything gourmet, just some feel-good desserts both kids and parents can enjoy!
Some great picnic desserts include brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, sheet cakes, and a selection of fruit pies. Now, if you’re expecting many picnickers, a big sheet cake would be a good choice as they can feed up to 60 people.
5. Make sure everyone is hydrated
People are going to get thirsty, so don’t forget to include some tasty refreshments. Along with water, include some fruit juices or even coffee, if your picnic is scheduled to go on until the evening.
The Picnic Activities
So now that we’ve got summer picnic catering ideas out of the way, let’s look at some fun activities that you can treat your fellow picnickers to:
1. Scavenger hunt
Here’s a fun activity for kids at your picnic! All you need to do is give them a list of items to look for. Include some simple items that they can find at the picnic venue easily, like acorns and frisbees. You could also bring a selection of small items to hide throughout the venue and give a prize to whoever finds them all.
2. Bring a portable speaker
Set the mood by bringing a powerful portable speaker and play some fun tunes. Before the meal, your fellow picnickers can have fun listening and dancing. You can also host some music-based games like the freeze dance.
3. Stargazing
If your picnic extends into the night, you could have a telescope to give your fellow picnic-goers the chance to stargaze with their families.
4. Friendship bracelets for kids
Bring some homemade friendship bracelets for kids at your picnic. You could also give them the materials so that they can make the bracelets themselves and share them with their friends.
Call a catering service for more summer picnic catering ideas
Planning out the perfect menu for your picnic can be a bit tough, so make sure to get in touch with a catering company with a great picnic catering menu. They’ll handle the food while you can focus on keeping your guests happy and having some fun in the summer sun yourself!
