You are welcome to picnic in the Royal Parks. Our aim is to ensure all visitors enjoy their Royal Park experiences. The eight Royal Parks are used by many people for different reasons and picnicking is a popular activity especially during the busy summer months.

It's always a good idea to check our website to see what events are happening in the area of the park you would like to visit.

Each park has a map which is downloadable from our website which can help you find an area to meet. We suggest you look for an open area in the park as it can be difficult to locate family and friends in one of the formal gardens.

Park maximum picnic guests

Different parks have different maximum group sizes allowed for picnics:

• Bushy Park - 20 guests
• Hyde Park - 40 guests
• The Green Park - 20 guests
• Greenwich Park - 25 guests
• Kensington Gardens - 30 guests
• The Regent's Park - 40 guests
• Richmond Park - 40 guests
• St James's Park - 20 guests.

If you are holding an organised event (for gatherings larger than the maximum number) please contact the relevant park office to discuss locations, signage and fees.

Guidelines for picnicking in the Royal Parks

The parks are also home to a rich variety of wildlife. We therefore ask you to follow these simple guidelines when picnicking in the Royal Parks. 

To ensure everyone enjoys the parks fully, we ask that you refrain from the following:

• Collecting or soliciting money - if you are holding a charity picnic, any collections must take place outside of the park boundary, you may need to check this with your local authority.
• Corporate advertising and distribution of leaflets - if you are holding an informal staff picnic you will not be permitted to display any corporate banners or distribute promotional material.
• Cooking or barbecuing in the parks - as well as being a fire hazard, abandoned barbecues can be a hazard to other visitors and to wildlife. Catering outlets in each of the parks sell a selection of hot and cold food.
• Using glassware - we ask that you use plastic cups and bottles where possible. Broken glass is a hazard to other visitors and wildlife and very difficult to remove from parkland.
• Playing ball games - ball games are only permitted in certain areas of some of the parks. If you want to play ball games, please contact the park office to find out where you should play.
• Playing loud music - please be considerate to other park users.
• Fixing anything to trees or driving anything into the ground.
• Erecting tents, marquees or other structures.
• Releasing balloons in the parks - please remember to be careful when bringing balloons into the park, as when released they get caught up in the trees and are hard to remove. They can also be a hazard to the wildlife in the park. Mass balloon releases are not permitted in the parks for these reasons.

We have no objection to alcoholic drinks, but they must be available free of charge (i.e. not for sale), and for consumption by your guests only. And of course, alcohol must only be made available to persons over the age of 18.

Remember, before you leave the park, to collect all of your litter together to take with you. Please do not leave any items unattended at any time, both to protect your items from theft and also to prevent them causing a possible security alert.

Above all, please be considerate, so other people can enjoy the park too. We hope you enjoy your day in the Royal Parks.

A number of The Royal Parks Regulations are displayed on selected park notice boards. View the complete set of park regulations.