Mentions of picnicking in March, April, and May were up 18% compared to average volumes for these months in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Google Trends data echoes how popular picnics have become, too. According to the search engine, worldwide search interest in picnics is at a five-year high, reaching the highest possible interest score of 100 in May and June. The most searched queries on the topic were “picnic spots near me” and “picnic tables near me”, both increasing in interest by 3,500% in the last four months.

What has people flocking to picnic benches?

Picnics are thriving because of social distancing – they’re a good way to meet up with friends outside of our households while adhering to protective measures. There were 240k social media mentions of having a picnic specifically with friends and family while staying within restrictions between March and June 2020.

Picnics have also been great for dates (212k mentions) and birthdays (104k mentions), as people try to make socially distanced celebrations work.

In terms of location, parks had the most coveted spots (191k mentions), while beach picnics saw 100k mentions. But we also learned that consumers were recreating picnic scenes in their own backyards. There were 67k mentions of this in the last four months, a 692% increase compared to the four months prior.

Unexpectedly, teddy bear picnics are having a comeback as parents look for new ideas to keep kids entertained. There were 28k mentions in the last four months of a picnic with stuffed toy friends, a 134% increase compared to the four months prior.

Picnic conversation was also driven by consumers on the hunt for associated accessories. We found 100k mentions of picnic tables, 52k mentions of picnic blankets, and 48k mentions of picnic baskets. People were looking for recommendations on social media, with many looking to invest in these products to use over what could be a long year of socially distanced socialization.

What are people eating?

Thanks to Consumer Research’s Image Insights capabilities, we’ve been able to see what people have been packing for their picnics through photographs posted on social media. We’re also able to identify the differences between how picnic baskets look in the US vs the UK.

On both sides of the pond people are enjoying baked goods, desserts, snack foods, and fruit – particularly strawberries.

Common branded items in both UK and US picnics were take-out chicken (like KFC and Chick-fil-a), chips (like Pringles), soft drinks (like Coca-Cola), and champagne (like Moët).

In the UK we spotted popular disinfectants among the most photographed items at picnics and Brits were also most likely to bring along beer. In the US, coffee was more likely to appear in picnic shots.

Picnicking isn’t just another in a long list of trends which have been influenced or caused by Covid-19. It’s an encouraging sign that, despite the crisis and protective measures, consumers are determined to find nearly normal ways of interacting with each other. The purchases they’re making around picnic equipment are testament to that commitment.

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Brandwatch Response Team