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Picnic FAQs

Picnics
You can book one of our 12 picnic sites by clicking into the desired site and pressing ‘BOOK NOW’. You can make your payment online and complete your reservation in just a few minutes

You are more than welcome to use any area of the Parklands to have a picnic without making a booking, however this does not guarantee you exclusive use of the site.

Please note if you choose to use one of our bookable areas and it is reserved, you just need to move to another area.

Furthermore, you cannot bring any external providers to the Parklands without a booking, for example pop-up picnic companies, caterers, children’s entertainers, infrastructure, etc.

In order to have picnic companies come into the Parklands you will need to make a booking and purchase a permit (*add on) for them to operate. External providers are not permitted to run their business in the Parklands without a permit and correlating booking.
Booking a designated picnic site in Centennial Park means:
  • You will have exclusive use of your preferred picnic site on your booked date and times*
  • There is no need to arrive at the Park hours in advance to save a spot
  • You have exclusive use of reserved picnic table(s)
  • All sites offer shade and amenities within 200m
  • You can communicate exact details of your picnic with certainty to friends and family in advance of the day.
* From 30 minutes after Park gate opening until 30 minutes prior to gate closure on your date of booking. Gate opening times vary seasonally, visit the website for gate opening times.
 
Please see the site-specific information for details on what items you can bring with you as part of a standard picnic booking and other items you can bring with you for an additional fee.
 
Permitted pop-up structures must be weighted down and not pegged into the ground. Picnic equipment should not impede any public pathways, impose on any flower beds or touch Parklands trees. You are not permitted to bring inflatable structures, mechanical rides or dunking machines due Parklands regulations.
 
These are not permitted in the Parklands. The only shade structures permitted in the Parklands are 3mx3m pop up shade structures with no sides. These structures must be weighted down and not pegged to preserve the environment.
 
You can bring 1 shade structure without a booking. If you wish to bring more than you need to make a booking and request an additional one in the ‘add-on’s’ section.
Inflatables are not permitted in the Parklands. This includes jumping castles, bubble soccer, human foosball, etc. Please check the drop-down menus on our picnic site pages for lists of what is permitted as well as any fees and restrictions that apply.
Yes, on Tier 1 sites you may have a caterer serving food (with no food to be cooked on site). At Tier 2 sites you can have a caterer that cooks food on-site. Charges and conditions apply.
If you wish to bring a shade structure that is more than 3x3m you need to make a booking and request an additional one in the ‘add-on’s’ section.
An acoustic ensemble of up to four persons is welcome as part of your picnic booking. Charges and conditions apply.

To comply with Parklands regulations and out of respect for other park visitors, sound must not exceed what is considered to be ambient background levels.

Bagpipes, drums, electronic music equipment or other amplified systems are not permitted.

NB: there is no access to power at any bookable picnic site within Centennial Park, and portable generators, when and where permitted, cannot be used for music amplification.
No, Centennial Parklands' barbecues operate on a first-come basis and cannot be booked. There are 8 free electric barbeques for all to use in the Parklands.

Yes, the use of portable BBQs that have legs preventing them from sitting directly on the grass are permitted as part of your booking (except during periods of total fire ban).

Hot coals, oil, hot or frozen liquid from the BBQs must not be dumped anywhere with the Park, they must be taken with you when you leave.

The lighting of fires in the Parklands is prohibited.

Parklands regulations do not permit the attachment of decorations, balloons, signage, banners or other items to trees, buildings, heritage features or other fixed structures anywhere within Centennial Parklands.

Party streamers, confetti, sparklers and fireworks are also not permitted in the Parklands.

Centennial Parklands provides an important and sensitive ecosystem for plants and wildlife within the Sydney metropolitan region. Please respect this environment when holding your picnic.

Alcohol may be brought into Centennial Parklands providing all State laws are adhered to and alcohol is consumed responsibly.
 
Please take empty bottles and cans with you when leaving the site and ensure that no broken glass is left behind. Fines may apply for excessive waste. Alcohol cannot be sold.

Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive a confirmation email including a map of our picnic site locations.

When a picnic site is reserved, we place signage out in the area on the day. Each bookable picnic site has a wooden post identifying the site number and name. This will help you ensure you are in the right place.
The size of the area varies from site to site and is appropriate for the maximum capacity of that site. The post at the picnic site indicates the size of the reserved area
 
You can contact our customer service officers between 8:30am & 4pm on Monday to Friday on (02) 9339 6699 or email them at info@centennialparklands.com.au. If you are calling on a weekend in the event of an emergency, you can contact our Ranger Services on 0412 718 611
Your picnic site booking will be for the time you nominate on your online booking form. When you make a reservation, the price is the same amount for one hour or for the whole day, so it is recommended to allow extra time around your booking times.
Vehicles are only permitted on public roads within Centennial Parklands.

Special permission may be granted for off-road access for drop-off and pick-up of equipment at the Musgrave, Ash Paddock and One More Shot Pond designated picnic sites only if requested in advance and in writing to: info@centennialparklands.com.au.

Vehicles granted prior approval for off-road access may only do so if escorted by a Parklands Ranger. Rangers must be contacted 15 minutes prior to arriving at the site on 0412 718 611.
 
Blocking access to gates, access ways, paths or roads is not permitted.
Free car parking is available throughout Centennial Park and is available to all park visitors on a first come first serve basis. The majority of parking spaces are unrestricted, however some high-use zones are limited to three hours. A coach parking bay is available on Parkes Drive, just after Banksia Way.
Yes, If you would like to have a picnic styled reception to follow your ceremony, you have to reserve a picnic site to cater for the reception. If you choose to reserve a ceremony site only, you can only have canapes served (pre-cooked) and the ceremony sites are only available for the 3hrs.
 
The only picnic sites that are next to ceremony sites are the Paperbark Grove picnic sites, Willow Pond Picnic Site and One More Shot Pond picnic site. 
 

No, you do not have to reserve a ceremony site to arrange a reception in the Parklands. When you book your picnic site for your reception you can choose to purchase additional permits for food caterers and/or food trucks and entertainers to come on site, scroll to the bottom of the picnic site page to view this information.
 
Please keep in mind that when choosing a picnic styled reception, there is no power within the Parklands, this means that there is no lighting in the Parklands when the sun goes down and all guests will need to vacate the Parklands when the vehicle gates close.

If the number of people attending your picnic changes after your booking has been confirmed please contact us on (02) 9339 6699 as there may be another picnic site available which is better suited to your new group size. Please note that any changes to your booking after it has been confirmed will incur an administration fee of $85.

If changing to a site with larger capacity, the difference in site fee and bond for this new location will also be an additional cost. If changing to a site with a smaller capacity, no refund for the difference in site fee or bond will
be issued.
 
Please politely advise the people that you have a booking for that site and ask them to move to a different location. Signage on the table(s) and the picnic site post will help you clarify the area you have booked. If they do not oblige, please call a Parklands Ranger on 0412 718 611 and they will enforce this for you.

Please make sure you have your picnic booking confirmation with you at all times on the day of your booking as you may be required to show this to a Parklands Ranger.
 
No, Parklands regulations forbid the retailing of products or overt use of promotional signage in the Parklands without the prior approval from Centennial Parklands.
You are not permitted to sell tickets as part of a picnic site booking.
Leave No Trace
 
Please take your rubbish with you and dispose of it responsibly. As a sustainably focused, self-funded public asset we ask for your help to reduce waste within Centennial Parklands. Picnics can generate significant amounts of rubbish and whilst general and recycling waste bins are provided throughout the Parklands, we ask that you please take your rubbish with you when you leave.

This not only reduces the potential danger waste poses to Parklands wildlife, it enables us to keep waste disposal costs to a minimum and instead invest precious funds into tree conservation and planting and other essential maintenance of heritage features, amenities and other Parklands facilities.
The cost of any excessive cleaning and waste removal by the Parklands will be deducted from your credit card hold.
 
If rubbish has been left at your site when you arrive, please report this immediately to a Parklands Ranger by calling 0412 718 611.
Centennial Park gate opening times vary seasonally. For current opening times visit: centennialparklands.com.au/gates

No, Centennial Park closes to all vehicles each  night. If your car has broken down, or cannot otherwise be moved due to mechanical fault, please notify a Parklands Ranger on 0412 718 611 in order to avoid a fine.

In case of an emergency please call 000. As a secondary measure, Parklands Rangers are qualified first aid providers and can be contacted on 0412 718

Centennial Parklands is a self- funded public asset that receives over 30 million visits a year.
All revenue we raise is invested back into the maintenance and improvement of Parklands facilities including new picnic tables.
Cancellation
Fees and conditions apply. Refunds are applicable within certain timeframes:
  • Cancellations received in writing more than 10 days prior to the booking date will be refunded minus an administration fee of $85.
  • Cancellations received in writing between 5-10 days prior to the booking date will receive a 50 per cent refund minus an administration fee of $85.
  • Cancellations received in writing within five days of the booking date will not be refunded.
All cancellations must be made in writing to: info@centennialparklands.com.au

In the event of wet weather, the earliest you can cancel your booking is 48 hours before your booking, the latest you can cancel it due to wet weather is midday on the day of the booking. If you wish to cancel your booking due to wet weather, please submit your cancellation in writing to info@centennialparklands.com.au. Once the cancellation is received, your booking payment will be refunded minus an administration fee of $85. If notification is not received before midday on the booked date, a refund will not be issued.

If, on the day of your booking, you are cancelling due to wet weather, please call the Centennial Parklands rangers on 0401 718 611 before noon

The Fearnley Grounds Sheltered area is the only sheltered bookable site in Centennial Parklands https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/venue-hire/picnics/fearnley-grounds-shelter.

To ensure the quality of Centennial Parklands picnic sites is maintained, a credit card authorisation will be taken for all bookings. Parklands Rangers will conduct a condition report after your picnic. Repair costs for any damage sustained as a direct result of your picnic will be deducted from your card, as will costs associated with waste disposal, to a maximum of $300. Please ensure your site is left in good condition, i.e. clean and tidy and with no damage sustained to avoid any charges.
 
Yes, changes to your booking must be made in writing to info@centennialparklands.com.au and will incur an administration fee of $85.
Memorial Services
Yes, you can have your memorial service in the Parklands. You cannot do the following:
  • Have a casket/coffin in the Parklands
  • You cannot spread ashes in the Parklands
  • Vehicles cannot go on the grass or off the road
You don’t need to make a booking; however, it is strongly advised to book and ensure the area is reserved and uninterrupted. By making a booking you will also be able to bring a celebrant into the Parklands.