Picnic Reservations

Picnic reservations are currently being limited to three households (25 people or fewer), wearing a face covering when not eating (ages 2 and up), staying six feet from anyone outside your household, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, and limiting use to two hours or less.

 

Picnic reservations are only required at Mitchell Park, Rinconada Park, and Foothills Nature Preserve. All other parks in Palo Alto are first-come, first-served.

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Group Picnic Reservation Information

  • Group picnic areas are available at Rinconada, Mitchell, and Foothills Parks. For Rinconada and Mitchell Parks, group reservations may be made by Palo Alto residents, organizations, and companies up to six months in advance and must be made by the Thursday at 5:30 p.m. of the weekend of use.

Picnic Site Name 

Fee

Amenities

Location
  • Pine Grove
  $139  Includes 10 barbecues and accommodates up to 110 people Mitchell Park
  • Redwood
  $112  Includes 6 barbecues and accommodates up to 90 people Mitchell Park
  • East Meadow
 $76 Includes 5 barbecues and accommodates up to 60 people Mitchell Park
  • Arbor
 $49 Includes 4 barbecues and accommodates up to 40 people Mitchell Park
  • Sequoia
  $62  Includes 5 barbecues and accommodates up to 50 people Rinconada Park
  • Oak Grove
   Please see Foothills Nature Preserve Reservation Packet Foothills Nature Preserve

Individual Picnic Reservation Information

  • Individual picnic areas may be reserved at Rinconada and Mitchell Parks. Reservations for individual sites may be made for weekends and holidays between May 1 and October 31.
  • A maximum of ten (10) people per table site is permitted and up to two (2) tables maximum may be reserved per customer on the Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the upcoming weekend of use.
  • No reservation is needed for use of individual tables Monday through Friday.
  • Tables that are not reserved in advance may be claimed on a first-come, first-served basis, at no cost.
  • Please note that individual table cancellations will not receive a refund.
Resident Non-Resident
$28 per table, max of 2 tables $33 per table, max of 2 tables

Oak Grove Picnic Area (Foothills Nature Preserve)

  • To reserve the Oak Grove area, please fill out the reservation packet(PDF, 613KB). The Oak Grove picnic area is yours to use for the day. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. and closes at a specific time based on sunset. For specific closing hours, please see our open-hours schedule. Event cleanup must be finished one-half hour before park closing. All members of your party, including guests, caterers, musicians, etc., must exit the park before park closing. Equipment may not be left overnight either before or after your event.
  • Please submit a guest list(PDF, 75KB) to the park one (1) week in advance of your event. The guest list must list all guests expected to attend, children included. The number of guests in Oak Grove cannot exceed 150 persons, children included.
  • Oak Grove cancellations must be made in writing and received 2 weeks before the event. A cancellation fee (1/3 of total charges) is non-refundable unless the City cancels the permit, wherein a full refund will be made. No refund is given if cancellation is less than two weeks. For more information on Oak Grove, please contact Foothill Nature Preserve at 650-329-2423.

     

Alcohol Policy

  • Alcohol may only be served at group picnic sites. 
  • If you plan on serving alcohol, a $1,000,000 insurance certificate must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to the date of your picnic. Certificates may also be purchased through the City of Palo Alto. With insurance, only beer, wine or champagne may be consumed. Hard liquor is prohibited.
  • If you do not plan on providing your own insurance and wish to purchase insurance through the City of Palo Alto, please be sure to submit a completed Alcohol Use Permit. Group size 50 or less - $164.16. Group size 51 or more - $184.80.

Cancellation Policy

  • Cancellations for Mitchell Park and Rinconada Park group reservations must be made in writing and received at least 5 business days prior to your reservation date in order to receive a refund. There will be a $15 processing fee charged for all canceled group site reservations.
  • Oak Grove cancellations must be made in writing and received 2 weeks before the event. A cancellation fee (1/2 of total charges) is non-refundable unless the City cancels the permit, wherein a full refund will be made. No refund is given if cancellation is less than two weeks. For more information on Oak Grove, please contact Foothill Nature Preserve at 650-329-2423.

Contact Us:

Phone: (650) 463-4949
Fax: (650) 321-5612
csd@cityofpaloalto.org

 

Foothills Nature Preserve:
(650) 329-2423

Reservation Process:

How to Reserve

Application Resources:

Group Picnic Reservation Application(PDF, 1MB)
Individual Picnic Reservation Application(PDF, 775KB)
Foothills Nature Preserve Reservation Packet(PDF, 613KB)
Alcohol Use Permit(PDF, 18KB)

Park Maps:

Mitchell Park Map(PDF, 671KB)
Rinconada Park Map(PDF, 45KB)

Rules and FAQ:

Park Rules(PDF, 489KB)
Picnic FAQ(PDF, 86KB)
Zero Waste Checklist(PDF, 928KB)

Foothills Nature Preserve:

Foothills Nature Preserve Guest List(PDF, 75KB)
Oak Grove Reservation Information(PDF, 154KB)

Related Information

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