Picnic areas are available in Golden Gate Park, John McLaren Park as well as numerous neighborhood parks. Our sites offer a variety of amenities, including barbecue grills and tables, making them ideal for birthday parties and social gatherings. Larger open-spaced sites are available for larger groups, and activities such as kickball or jump houses.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLINE BOOKINGS FOR PICNIC RESERVATIONS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025 FROM 8:00AM - 12:00PM . SHOULD YOU NEED TO RESERVE A PICNIC SITE DURING THIS TIME, PLEASE CALL THE PERMITS CALL CENTER (415-831-5500), WHICH OPENS AT 10:00AM.

Booking and Contact Information

Book your reservation online using our PICNIC AREA DIRECTORY , or call us at 415-831-5500, Monday-Friday from 10am-2pm (closed holidays). Email questions to RPDReservations@sfgov.org .

Site availability varies, and we do recommend booking early. Picnic sites may be reserved up to 90 days in advance of your desired date. If your desired date is more than 90 days in advance please contact us for available options.

Fees

Reservation and park impact fees can be found here: Picnic Impact Fees (PDF) .

COYOTE ALERT

April to August is coyote pup rearing season. The picnic areas below are experiencing, or have historically experienced, coyote activity. Please see the specific picnic site information page for more details.

• 14th Avenue Picnic Area
• Barnyard at Koret Playground Picnic Area
• Blue Heron Lake Boathouse Picnic Area
• Blue Heron Lake Chinese Pavilion Picnic Area
• Blue Heron Lake South Side Lawn Picnic Area
• Bunny Meadow Picnic Area
• Dahlia Dell Picnic Area
• Elk Glen Picnic Area
• Hellman Hollow
• Mountain Lake Picnic Areas
• Pioneer Log Cabin Picnic Area
• Pioneer East Meadow Picnic Area
• Robin Williams Meadow Table 4, 5, 6 Picnic Area
• Saint Mary’s Rec Center Picnic Area
• Strawberry Hill Picnic Area

Barbecue Grills

Charcoal grilling is only allowed at sites that have built-in grills. Single propane grills with no more than a one-quart tank may be brought into the following picnic areas in Golden Gate Park:  14th Avenue East Meadow, Bunny Meadow, Dahlia Dell, Doughboy Meadow, Elk Glen, George Washington Grove, Hellman Hollow, Hoover Redwood Grove, Lindley Meadow, Marx Meadow, Old Speedway Meadow, Peacock Meadow, Pioneer East Meadow, Pioneer Log Cabin, Robin Williams Meadow, Stow Lake Boathouse, and Strawberry Hill. For a comprehensive list of sites that have built-in grill please see our PICNIC SITE DIRECTORY .

Large Picnics (over 100 people)

Gatherings with more than 100 attendees must complete a LARGE PICNIC APPLICATION . We recommend contacting us first to confirm site availability.

Cancellations, Changes, Refunds

Any changes or cancellations must be made at least 10 business days prior to your event date and will be subject to a fee of the higher of $33 or 20% of the reservation fee. In addition, if you would like a refund (as opposed to a credit to your account), there will be an additional refund fee of the higher of $17 or 20% of the refund amount. Changes or cancellations within 10 business days of your event date are not accepted. Credit card processing fees are non-refundable. Refunds must be processed back to the original method of payment. Cash/check payments will be refunded with a check.

Activities That Require Additional Permitting

An event involving any of the following is considered a special event , and requires the submission of a SPECIAL EVENT APPLICATION .

• Advertising that the event is open to the public
• Amplified sound (more than a battery-operated low wattage speaker)
• Needing to confirm date/time/location more than 6 months in advance
• Selling of food, alcohol or merchandise
• Selling of tickets to the event
• S pecial set ups of stages, tents, barricades fences or other items