What we pack for a 100-person family picnic (the checklist)
Every Family Gathering picnic looks effortless to the families who attend. Here's the actual gear list and timing that makes it possible.
We get the same question after every picnic: how do you fit a hundred people, six activities, and three coolers' worth of snacks into one calm afternoon? Here's our actual checklist — printed, laminated, and clipped to the planning binder.
The night before
Confirm headcount from the registration form (cap at 110 to allow walk-ins).
Top up the medical kit: bandaids, sting wipes, EpiPens checked for expiry.
Pre-cut watermelon and store in two large coolers with ice packs.
Charge the portable speaker, the megaphone, and three power banks.
The morning of
We arrive 90 minutes before doors open. The first 30 minutes are dedicated to perimeter setup — caution tape around any water hazards, a clear path between the parking lot and the picnic area, and the welcome desk anchored at the obvious entry point.
Tables come next. We use a simple grid: food on the south side (downwind from kids' games), crafts on the north side, and a quiet zone in the shaded corner for napping toddlers or sensory breaks.
The non-obvious stuff
Two extra rolls of paper towels per cooler. Always.
A laundry basket as a lost-and-found.
A whiteboard at the entrance with the next activity start time.
One adult assigned to ONLY the trash bins — picnics live or die by garbage flow.
The volunteers who run the welcome desk decide whether a family relaxes in the first five minutes or stays on edge for the next two hours.
If you want a copy of the full PDF checklist, just message us through the contact form. We'll send it back the same day.