Many winter days are bright and sunny. And dare we say warm? Well, yes, especially if you’re dressed for the weather. Bundle up and head out to a park for a winter picnic!

The City moves snow in some areas to improve access to picnic sites, but you might have to clear snow off the tables or from the BBQ stoves or fire pits. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find one already cleared by someone else!

Things You Might Need

  • A shovel to clear the snow
  • Fire-building materials for a BBQ stove or fire pit (newspaper, matches and wood)
  • Your own camping stove
  • Blankets to cover the benches and your knees
  • Winter whimsy
  • Hot chocolate

BBQ Stoves

The BBQ stoves are off the ground, on a raised pedestal. These sites are available first come first served and have picnic tables.

  • Capilano Park
  • Coronation Park
  • Emily Murphy Park
  • Gold Bar Park
  • Hermitage Park
  • Jackie Parker Park
  • Rundle Park
  • Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park
  • Victoria Park
  • Whitemud Park
  • William Hawrelak Park

Fire Rings

Fire rings are in the ground and have a moveable grate that can be used for cooking. These sites are first come first served and do not always have picnic tables. Take your own chairs if you’d like to sit.

  • Emily Murphy Park, Site 3
  • Victoria Park, Site 5
  • Victoria Park, by the IceWay
  • Whitemud Park, near the Alfred H. Savage Pavilion

Bookable Winter Picnic Sites

The City offers a number of bookable picnic sites for larger groups. Fall/winter reservations are pre-packaged in specific time slots of 10am-noon and 2-4pm, with a minimum reservation time of 2 hours. Outside of these reservable time slots, the sites are open to the public for drop-in use during park hours.

October-April reservations open in September. See the City’s Picnic Sites page for full details.