A picnic is a meal taken outdoors as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding an open-air theater performance, and usually in summer or spring. It is different from other meals because it requires free time to leave home.

Historically, in Europe, the idea of a meal that was jointly contributed to and enjoyed out-of-doors was essential to picnic