Picnic Sites FAQ

No, City parks are open to the public and everyone is welcome to enjoy a picnic without making a reservation, however, this does not guarantee you exclusive use of the site.

If you are organizing a picnic for over 49 people a reservation is required, as per parkland bylaw 2202. This also guarantees you exclusive use of the site.

For exclusive use of one of our reservable sites, a minimum 4 hours reservation is required.

Fees, terms and conditions apply. 

Reserving a designated picnic site means:

• You will have exclusive use of your preferred picnic site for a minimum of 4 hours on your reserved day. There is no need to arrive at the park hours in advance to ensure you have your preferred site reserved.
• You can communicate exact details of your gathering with certainty to friends and family in advance of the day.

There are 13 parks within Edmonton that have designated picnic sites which are able to be reserved exclusively for your next picnic.

Sites can accommodate between 32 and 96 guests.    

In order to balance the needs of booking clients and other park visitors, the physical space included in your reservation is the area upon which the picnic tables, firepits, and camp stoves are located. On some sites this area is indicated by a cement or shale pad, on others there is no physical boundary marker. The open space located beside any picnic site and throughout the park is open to all park users and may not be reserved.

Reservation fees vary depending upon the site being sheltered or not and the amenities available at that picnic site. 

See Picnic Sites.

Revenue earned goes toward the maintenance and improvement of our parks and infrastructure. Edmonton has over 460 parks - the 48-kilometre long stretch of the North Saskatchewan River Valley has 22 major parks. It's the largest expanse of urban parkland in North America. 

Yes, see Cancellations and Rescheduling.

Please see Cancellations and Rescheduling and contact the Bookings Staff.

If the number of people attending your picnic changes after your booking has been confirmed please contact us at tel:780-423-7428 as there may be another picnic site available which is better suited to your new group size.

If changing from a lower fee site to one of a higher fee, the price difference will also be an additional cost.

If changing to a site with a lower fee, a refund will be issued for the price difference.

Regardless of which site you reserve you can bring the following items with you for no additional cost:

• Your own portable BBQ
• Up to 10 chairs

Depending on which site you reserve you can bring additional items with you for an additional cost:

• A  personal music player
• A face painter
• A caterer serving food
• A live acoustic ensemble of up to 4 people
• Clowns (no amplified sound)
• Puppeteers (no amplified sound)

Additional terms and conditions may apply.

Vehicles are only permitted on public roads within City of Edmonton parkland.

Special permission may be granted for off-road access to certain sites in William Hawrelak, Victoria, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Jackie Parker and Emily Murphy Parks. Vehicle access will only be granted at these designated sites and only if requested in advance as part of the reservation process.

Please make all additional services requests to picnicbookings@edmonton.ca

Yes, the use of self-contained barbecues is permitted provided that they are a minimum of 6 inches off the ground and placed 30 feet from any flammable materials.

All charcoal must be extinguished and then disposed of in a BBQ pit; it is unlawful to dispose of coals anywhere else.

Larger barbecues that are fuelled by propane are also acceptable, as long as you are able to manually carry or wheel them into the site.

Please be considerate and place your barbeques on the cement pads or dirt area within the site.

Prior approval from the Reservations Office is required in order to bring any commercial or industrial-sized barbeque.

No. Parkland regulations forbid the retailing of products or use of promotional signage on parkland without the prior approval of Citizen Services Contract Operations.

Each reservable picnic site has a sign identifying the site number and its reserved status. This will help ensure you are in the right place.

Each park has a varied number of public parking spaces, free of charge.

Parking spaces are not reserved as part of your reservation. Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please politely advise the people concerned that you have a confirmed reservation for that site and ask them to move to a different location. If they do not oblige, please call 311 and they will connect you with a Park Ranger.

Please make sure that you have your gazebo permit with you at all times on the day of your reservation as you may be required to show this to a Park Ranger and/or Park Operations Staff

Please report this immediately to Park Operations staff by calling 311.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you leave the site clean and tidy on the day of your reservation. The cost of excessive cleaning and waste removal by Park Operations will be billed to you as per the Picnic Reservation Terms and Conditions.

Please do not tie or attach any decorations to the trees around your reserved site. You may attach approved decorations, balloons, signs and banners by tying them to the picnic shelter. All items must be removed at the end of your reservation and properly disposed of.

Confetti, rice, sparklers, and fireworks are not permitted.

*All decorations - balloons, signs, banners- must be approved by the Reservations Office (780-423-7428) prior to your reservation date.

No, all City parks close at 11pm every night. If your vehicle is left it will be towed at your expense and you will be fined.

Please contact 311 or email 311@edmonton.ca with the following details:

• Your name
• Your contact details
• A description of the item
• The approximate time you may have lost the item
• The approximate place you may have lost the item