What better way to celebrate summer than with a beach picnic? Whether you’re spending time with friends or family, these beach picnic ideas will help you plan the most epic day. I’ll give you ideas for food, games and your picnic setup to help inspire your plans.
What to Eat
First on your agenda should be the food. Grab your beach cooler and load it up with these tasty treats.
The Best Beach Sandwiches
Simple yet satisfying, these beach sandwiches are the perfect lunch to pack for your picnic. The recipe calls for ciabatta bread, turkey, cheddar cheese, pickles, arugula, fresh basil, sundried tomato butter, avocado and spices
Feel free to use any other type of deli meat you want. Salami, pepperoni or ham would be just as tasty. Want to make it vegetarian? Add thin slices of veggies instead of meat.
Wrap your sandwiches in deli paper and pack them up.
Watermelon
When it comes to food, one of the best beach picnic ideas is watermelon. It’s the ultimate summer snack because it’s cool, refreshing and hydrating.
You can buy a whole watermelon and slice it yourself, or you can buy pre-cubed watermelon. I recommend going the DIY route. Get the freshest watermelon you can find – it will be worth it.
Moscato Strawberries
For the adults, these moscato strawberries are perfect. Just pour some moscato over whole strawberries and let them soak for at least an hour. Drain and roll your berries in pink sanding sugar.
If you want to skip the alcohol, you could just pack some fresh berries or dip them in chocolate.
Related: 26 Delicious Picnic Finger Food Ideas That Look Fancy
Snackle Box
A snackle box is a tackle box filled with all your fave charcuterie snacks: deli meats, cheeses, crackers, olives, fruit, sweets, veggies – you name it.
Grab a new tackle box (here’s a great one) and load it up with whatever ingredients you want. The compartments will make it easy to keep things separate. Load the box in your cooler, and you’re ready to go.
Roasted Veggie Wraps
These wraps are light and delicious, making them a great choice for a post-lunch snack. Stack roasted bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onions on a tortilla topped with hummus. It’s as easy as that!
Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like for this. Peppers and squash are ideal because they can easily be sliced and rolled up.
I also recommend packing drinks and some snacks that don’t need to be refrigerated, like crackers, nuts or chips. These are also great sides to eat with your sandwiches and charcuterie.
What to Play
You’ve got the food covered. But how will you stay entertained? I have some awesome beach picnic ideas for games that everyone will love.
Paddleball
Challenge each other to a fun game of paddleball. The goal is to volley the ball back and forth until someone misses and the ball hits the ground (a.k.a. beach tennis).
You can find paddleball sets for two or more players on Amazon.
Take turns challenging each other, or have a tournament to see which player can beat everyone else. If you have extra paddles on hand, ask other beach-goers to play along. You may even make some new friends.
Scavenger Hunt
One of our favorite beach picnic ideas is to have a scavenger hunt. If you have kids, they will love this idea. And you can even offer a little prize (or snack) to whoever can find everything on the list.
You can make up your own hunt, or you can use a pre-made checklist like the one in this Pin. Be sure that your list contains items that everyone can find pretty easily. Otherwise, you’ll have some frustrated players on your hands.
Charades
Charades can be a fun game to play together, especially on the beach. There are a few ways to play.
- Buy a charades game, like this one or this one. These games often have 100+ cards with prompts, so you’ll never run out of ideas.
- Make up your own prompts. Write them on pieces of paper, toss them into a hat and have everyone pick one.
- Buy printable prompts, like the one in this Pin.
The great thing about charades is that it forces everyone to relax and have a good time without worries or cares.
DIY Classic Board Game
If you love a good DIY project, this classic board game is perfect for your beach picnic. You only need a few supplies to get started:
- An old table runner
- Some fabric paint
- Sponge brush
- Duct tape
- A few boxes to hold your game pieces
When you’re done, you’ll have three different games to play: tic-tac-toe, checkers and mancala. Of course, you can also customize this to create any board game you want.
Kojo Designs walks you through the steps of making this fun project, which you can easily roll up and take to the beach.
These are games that will keep the older kids (or even the adults) occupied for hours. Plus, I love the idea of using seashells for game pieces. You can collect new pieces to play with, and there are no worries if a few pieces get lost.
Related: 10+ Picnic Date Ideas That Are Cheap, Fun & Totally Romantic
Cards
Card games are a classic choice for picnic games, and there are unlimited options out there:
Card games are more fitting for smaller groups or if you need to keep older kids entertained. But they’re a great way to have some laughs and friendly competition while soaking up the sun.
Beach Volleyball
A classic beach game that you can play with groups of all sizes. If your local beach doesn’t have volleyball nets set up, you could bring your own.
Split into teams and compete to see who wins. Try getting other beach-goers in on the game.
Aesthetics & Setup
You have so many great beach picnic ideas that we’ve walked through so far. But, you need to also think about the setup and aesthetics, too. You’re on the beach, the sun is beating down on you and whoever goes on the picnic with you. A little prep time can make it more comfortable.
Small changes, such as adding shade, are almost a must-have during mid-summer and add so much comfort to your outing.
I’ll share some of my aesthetic and setup ideas below.
Shade
A boho beach shade is always a good idea. You can still work on your tan by moving out of the shade, but the space will make it far more comfortable for you. Plus, you can keep your drinks and food cool, which is a bonus.
You can use a beach canopy, like this one, for the boho vibes and shade.
While your shade may be the focal point of the setup, you should add in cute totes and blankets to complete the look.
The Ultimate Comfort Setup
Comfort is important on the beach, especially with the way sand seems to get everywhere. A small gust of wind is enough to blow sand right on your sandwich, which is a fast way to ruin a picnic.
But with this comfortable setup on the beach, it’s almost like you’re glamping on the beach with:
You can bring any beach chairs you like, or you can also sit on the floor of the tent. If you like, the Pin setup also has a wireless speaker for you to listen to your favorite music while relaxing on the beach.
I have to say that the portable foot bath is a complete game-changer and will help you keep the inside of your tent much cleaner.
Luxury Boho Setup
Luxury is in style at this year’s beach picnics, and this certainly checks all of the boxes. You’ll start with a boho beach umbrella, which will protect you from UV rays and offer some much-needed shade on a hot summer’s day.
Bamboo beach mats (who even knew these existed?) are perfect for your trays or to sit on.
You’ll put all of your picnic food on tiered trays.
And you’ll even notice that this Pin has candles. Any beach that I’ve ever been to, and it’s been a lot, is too windy for me to trust candles. I am just envisioning the candles falling on the wooden mat or my towel and catching fire.
A nice compromise is these LED candles that offer the same ambiance without real flames.
Related: 25+ Picnic Food Ideas That’ll Make You The MVP of Any Picnic
Simple and Romantic
All of these setups have been rather complex, and even over the top, for many people. For me, this idea is the most realistic because I just know that I’m not going to want to lug a huge umbrella, mats, tents or portable fans around if it’s a hot, muggy day.
But this idea is the classic “movie-inspired” picnic with a:
- Beach towel
- Woven picnic basket on top
- Small flower vase
Of course, the Pin also has a super cute heart drawn into the sand with flowers in the middle, but this is something that everyone can do.
Plan for the perfect picnic, but don’t stress too much. Enjoy the waves crashing on the beach and the beautiful sunsets (if you’re staying for one).
