Neighborhood Picnic

I recently had the pleasure of planning a celebration picnic following the launch of a new church in Washington, DC. Redeemer City Church was having their first service in September and asked that I plan a fun afternoon with games and food for everyone who was helping and attending later that afternoon. Since the party was a picnic, I thought it would be fun to use lots of picnic blankets for people to sit on and eat on. We filled the grass with picnic baskets, balloons, colorful bunting, and lots of yard games.

Gingham bunting was the perfect addition to this celebration picnic. We strung the colorful fabric around the fence of the park.

Yard games included giant jenga, corn hole, bocce ball, and ladder golf. I borrowed this giant jenga from a friend at work who had made it herself. You can learn how to make your own here. If you have space to store it, I would definitely recommend getting one. It was a lot of fun for kids and adults and I have brought it to a few other outdoor events.

To keep food simple, we served Chipotle burritos, lemonade, and cupcakes from a local bakery. Soon after Chipotle started offering catering services, my husband and I used them to cater our wedding. It was a huge hit and I have used their catering services many times since. They don’t yet offer delivery, so make sure you have at least two people with a large car that can go and pick it up ahead of time. This time we did burritos by the box. Since you can mix and match different meats/veggies, I would also suggest getting signs with the types of burritos you will have so people can quickly grab what they want.

I also made a mini lemonade stand with lidded cups, fun straws and colorful gingham bunting. You can download the lemonade bunting for free below or by clicking here.