At the shore of Lake Balboa, pink fresh roses are placed with elegance between two candelabras filled with white candles in the center of a picnic table. A light pink picnic blanket covers the thick grass, and fluffy pink pillows take the place of chairs. A heartfelt picnic awaits for Jasmin’s 25th birthday celebration.

“Instagram worthy” public picnics are now a fast-growing trend that gained traction shortly after COVID-19 that can make your picnic dreams a reality. Prior to COVID-19, public picnics existed, but they have become more highly visible and creative since quarantine.

Outdoor picnics have been a huge trend this past spring and summer for groups of up to 20 people to enjoy their special occasion. With COVID-19 restrictions becoming more serious due to a rise in cases, only groups of six or fewer are now allowed by most picnic services. Still, it’s a way to celebrate gender reveals, birthdays, anniversaries and other special events during the time of social distancing.

Several different picnic services offer themes such as bohemian, harvest, and contemporary. It begins with a team of interior designers that works together to provide you with all the items you need to have a successful picnic such as pillows, blankets, lights, flowers, all according to your requested theme. The most common locations to reserve these luxury picnics are at the beach, park, and even your own backyard.

Picnic Galore, a service in Southern California created by Frida Olvera in September, offers nine different themes to choose from. Two of the nine themes are simple picnic themes starting at $140 for two hours that can have up to 10 people. The remaining seven picnic themes are considered the deluxe package and start at $200. The deluxe picnic is a more luxurious experience with table settings and decor that could accommodate more than two guests. Wedding picnics have been in high demand, but as of now, Picnic Galore has a capacity of 20 people allowed to be present at the picnic.

“Food isn’t provided by Picnic Galore because a license is necessary to offer food to guests, but we do provide their drink of choice. We partnered up with a charcuterie box and bakery business to offer those at an additional cost. Nonetheless, our customers are more than welcome to bring their own food, drinks, and desserts,” explains Olvera.

Since COVID-19 is still an ongoing issue, picnic compares are taking safety precautions, and guests are provided with hand sanitizer upon arrival. Picnic Galore makes sure to keep the setup and takedown process sanitary for not only them but for their clientele as well. “We wear masks during the set-up and clean-up process. After every picnic, we wash everything that was used,” says Olvera.

A lot of detail goes into perfecting the experience for clients, including rugs, tables with roses and other finishing touches. “For our picnics, we prepare for everything in the morning by picking fresh roses and gathering all of our equipment to load in the car,” says Olvera. Picnic Galore arrives at the picnic location at least an hour and a half before the guests arrive to set everything up. Once their set-up is complete, they document photos and videos to post on their social media.

Passionately Created is a pop-up picnic service created by Keisha Como catering to the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. At the start of the pandemic, Como noticed she had a lot of free time, and that is when her picnic business was born. Como believes she has been able to grow her business by word-of-mouth. “I believe I’ve been able to grow my business because of my amazing customers who have promoted my business on their social media,” explains Como.

The creativity of these customizable pop-up picnics leaves customers wanting to thank the creators of the picnic. Bryanna Romero is a customer who booked a picnic with Passionately Created to surprise her boyfriend on his birthday. “I met the owner once I surprised my boyfriend because I wanted to thank her for the beautiful and memorable set-up,” says Romero.

After two hours, Picnic Galore heads back to the location of the picnic and waits for the guests to start heading out, so they can collect all their equipment and supplies. If they would like to leave prior to their two-hour limit, they are asked to call at least 30 minutes in advance.

“I finally had free time to start my business because I was furloughed from my job for a few months. COVID-19 has affected us all, but it actually helped me to be able to start this business because I have always enjoyed party planning,” says Como.

The base pricing for a picnic for two people is $150. For groups of three or more, there is a charge of $40 per person attending the picnic. A 25% deposit is required to secure your booking date. Passionately Created requests that their guests send them pictures with details to make their picnic dreams a reality, or browse their gallery on their website.

“Since June of this year, we have created over 115 picnics. In just my second month of business, over 40 picnics were booked, and I’m beyond grateful for the support of my business,” says Como.

Now that the winter season is coming, picnic business owners are aware that they might go down in booking numbers because of weather conditions.

But there will still be a market in Southern California for dedicated customers. “Overall, my expectations were exceeded and I would definitely book with them again. My favorite part was the presentation of the food and decor set-up while we were able to watch the Malibu sunset with my boyfriend,” says Romero.