Skip to Content

National Picnic Day – April 23 – Grab a Picnic Basket and Relax

When the warm weather has arrived, my thoughts turn to eating outdoors and nothing is more relaxing than a picnic. April 23 is celebrated each year as National Picnic Day.

It is the perfect day celebrate spring and enjoy the fresh air with some good food and good friends.

Whether you want to go to the effort of a cooked barbecue or just enjoy a simple basket of food that is served on paper plates, picnics are the ultimate informal affairs that are intended to be fun and relaxing for everyone involved.

Picnics are so versatile. You can pack a casual picnic of sandwiches and cut veggies, or a romantic picnic equipped with a bottle of your favorite wine.

Make sure to read the other ideas for items to pack on your picnic below!April 23 is National Picnic Day. Find out about the origins of picnics and get some ideas for things to take on a picnic.

April is a month full of national days devoted to all sorts of food. Check out the full list of April national food days here.

Have you ever heard the saying “Life is no picnic?” This saying is often used when one is in an unpleasant situation. But picnics are anything but unpleasant! Here are some fun picnic facts you may not be aware of.Fun facts about picnics

  • Once an ant has visited your picnic, it lays down a scent so that all its ant buddies can join the party too.
  • Early descriptions of picnics show that the idea of a meal jointly enjoyed out of doors was celebrated from the early 19th century.
  • The word picnic seems to come from the French words pique-nique. It appeared in the Origines de la Langue Francaise in 1692 and was used to describe a group of people dining (in a restaurant) who brought their own wine. The similarity of the sounds of the French words and our word picnic lend some to think they are related.Pique-nique sign
  • Kim Novak and Willian Holden starred in the 1955 film Picnic which was nominated for 2 Oscars and won 2.
  • The song Teddy Bear’s Picnic was originally a two-step and became the song we know in 1930 when lyrics were added.
  • In Japan, cherry blossom season announces the arrival of spring, along with the start of hanami (cherry blossom viewing picnic season). 
  • In the year 2000, the first Bastille Day of the new millennium was celebrated with a 600 mile long picnic which was organized in France on the 14th of July.
  • National Picnic Week is celebrated two months after National Picnic day, from June 15 to June 23. 

Ways to celebrate National Picnic Day

National Picnic Day – April 23 – Grab a Picnic Basket and Relax Share on X

Use the hashtags #nationalpicnicday and #picnicday on social media to help spread awareness of this special day.

Grab your blankets, fill up a picnic basket and head to the great outdoors for a fun picnic.

Sing the Teddy Bear’s Picnic Lyrics with a friend.

If the weather does not permit an outdoor picnic, have a fun party indoors instead. You can even turn it into an indoor camping party!Keep calm and picnic on Meme

Picnic quotes to share on National Picnic Day

Make a meme to share one of these fun picnic quotes with your friends on Facebook or Twitter to celebrate National Picnic Day.

  • “Keep calm and picnic on.” – Unknown
  • “You bring your own weather to a picnic.” -Harlan Coben
  • “Life needs a few more polka dots and picnics.” – Unknown
  • Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.” – Alice Walker
  • “Nothing is better than a picnic.” Zooey Deschanel
  • “Among the delights of summer were picnics to the woods.” – Georg Brandes
  • “There’s something for everybody at Picnic Day.” – Liz Applegate
  • “There are few things so pleasant as a picnic eaten in perfect comfort.” – W. Somerset Maugham
  • “A picnic is a great way to see what all the foods you love will taste like if you add ants.” – Unknown

Things to pack in picnic baskets

We tend to make sure that we have the main food items packed in our picnic baskets, but there are many other things that help to make a great picnic. Be sure your picnic basket has these items, too:Things to pack in a picnic basket

  • Salt and pepper
  • Casual food items that you can eat without utensils
  • Wet wipes
  • Paper plates
  • Plastic cutlery
  • Napkins
  • Serving spoons
  • Condiments
  • A sharp knife
  • A blanket
  • Frozen bottles of water
  • A corkscrew and wine
  • A cutting Board
  • Paper towels
  • Plastic bags for your waste

There are over 1500 national days every year. This list of national days in April lists over 150 of these national days occurring this month alone.

Be sure not to miss a single special day! Check back often to see which national days we are featuring this month.

And if you love to do puzzles, we have an April national days word search printable that features many national days hidden in a word find puzzle.

For other fun national days in April, have a look at National Garlic Day, Go Birding Day and National Pet Day, and make sure to check out our April food days video on Youtube.

Share on Social Media

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."