Central
Coram's Fields is a children's park in Bloomsbury, and adults may only enter with a child aged 16 or under. For a group of parents it is one of the best spaces...
Russell Square · Walk-in
Walk-in
Cover story
London parks for group picnics and kickabouts
Picnic, barbecue, kickabout or just sit. Parks for groups across London, so the grass works for everyone coming.
The little black book
London parks for group picnics and kickabouts
Picnic, barbecue, kickabout or just sit. Parks for groups across London, so the grass works for everyone coming.
Central London
Chapter 1 · 8 parks
Central
Green Park is plain grass and mature trees right in the middle of town, between Piccadilly and Buckingham Palace. Informal picnics are welcome, but barbecues...
Green Park · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Hyde Park covers 350 acres, so a group of twenty never feels crowded. The Serpentine has boating, and the Serpentine Lido opens for public swimming in summer....
Hyde Park Corner / Marble Arch · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Jubilee Gardens is the lawn at the foot of the London Eye, reached from Belvedere Road and the Queen's Walk. Waterloo station is a few minutes away. It is fair...
Waterloo · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Lincoln's Inn Fields is often called London's largest public square, with three tennis courts and two netball courts booked through Camden. It fills with...
Holborn · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Russell Square is a small Bloomsbury square with a fountain and Café Tropea, open daily from 7am. It is right for a forty-minute catch-up between other things....
Russell Square · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
St James's Park has a lake with resident pelicans, usually fed at 2.30pm. It sits right in the centre of London. It is too manicured for a kickabout, but ideal...
St James's Park / Westminster · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Victoria Embankment Gardens are formal riverside gardens a minute from the Strand, with a café. In summer there is a table tennis table in front of the...
Embankment · Walk-in
Walk-in
North London
Chapter 2 · 10 parks
North
Alexandra Palace Park has 196 acres of hilltop parkland with panoramic views of the London skyline. There is a boating lake with pedalos and rowing boats, and...
Alexandra Palace · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Clissold Park has fallow deer, goats and aviaries, two ponds and tennis courts. The café is in Clissold House, a Grade II listed building in the park. It is...
Stoke Newington · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Finsbury Park opened in 1869, with a boating lake that is older than the park itself. It is right by Finsbury Park station on the Victoria and Piccadilly...
Finsbury Park · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
Hackney Downs is a large, flat park with playing fields, play areas and sports facilities. It is quieter than London Fields. Barbecues are not allowed in...
Hackney Downs · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Hampstead Heath is more countryside than park, hilly and enormous. Parliament Hill Lido and the Kenwood Ladies' and Highgate Men's Ponds are open all year,...
Hampstead Heath / Gospel Oak · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Highbury Fields is Islington's largest park, at 11.75 hectares, right by Highbury and Islington station. It has open lawns, playgrounds and 11 floodlit tennis...
Highbury & Islington · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Primrose Hill has a protected panoramic view of the London skyline, best at sunset. It is steep and compact, so bring what you need. Lovely for a drink and a...
Chalk Farm · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Regent's Park has bookable sports pitches, for groups of up to 22, plus boating and the Open Air Theatre. Winter pitch bookings run from September to March. It...
Regent's Park / Baker Street · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
Shoreditch Park is flat open grass near Old Street, with a beach volleyball court and two free table tennis tables. Bring your own bats and balls. For an...
Hoxton / Old Street · Walk-in
Walk-in
North
Waterlow Park is a terraced Highgate hillside with ponds and a café in Lauderdale House. Barbecues are no longer allowed. It is quiet and often overlooked in...
Archway · Walk-in
Walk-in
East London
Chapter 3 · 8 parks
South
Burgess Park is a large, modern park in Southwark with sports pitches and a fishing lake. Barbecue facilities are suspended until further notice, so don't plan...
Elephant & Castle · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Greenwich Park's view from beside the Royal Observatory takes in Canary Wharf, the City and the Shard. Picnics are welcome, but as a Royal Park it does not...
Cutty Sark / Greenwich · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
Haggerston Park is a calm walled park between Hackney Road and the canal, with Hackney City Farm on its southern edge. It also has a BMX track, a community...
Hoxton · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
London Fields has a heated 50-metre lido open all year beside a big, sociable stretch of grass. It gets busy on warm evenings, so arrive early. Barbecues are...
London Fields · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
Mile End Park is a long green strip beside the Regent's Canal, crossed by the Green Bridge, which carries grass and trees over Mile End Road. It is built for...
Mile End · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Potters Fields Park sits beside Tower Bridge, with lawns, wildlife gardens and picnic areas. It is small and often busy. No other park in London frames the...
London Bridge · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Southwark Park has a boating lake, bowling facilities and Southwark Park Galleries, open Wednesday to Sunday from midday to 5pm. It is quiet and little known....
Canada Water · Walk-in
Walk-in
East
Victoria Park has cafés, a boating lake with rowing and pedal boats, and plenty of open space for a game. It is the default for a large east London gathering....
Hackney Wick / Bethnal Green · Walk-in
Walk-in
South London
Chapter 4 · 6 parks
South
Battersea Park has the riverside Peace Pagoda, a boating lake and a children's zoo. Its Millennium Arena has an eight-lane athletics track, tennis and padel...
Battersea Park / Queenstown Road · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Brockwell Park has hilltop views across London, a restored walled flower garden and the Grade II listed Brockwell Lido. The walled garden suits the quieter...
Herne Hill · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Clapham Common has around 220 acres of flat open grass and three main ponds, Eagle, Mount and Long. It is the default for a large south London group. It is...
Clapham Common · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Dulwich Park is a flat, leafy park with a loop popular with runners and cyclists. Its boating lake has pedalos and rowing boats, and the Dulwich Clock café is...
West Dulwich · Walk-in
Walk-in
South
Peckham Rye has open common for a game on one side and formal gardens on the other, including the Victorian-style Sexby Garden with pergolas, roses and a...
Peckham Rye · Walk-in
Walk-in
South West
Wandsworth Common is a large, leafy common on London's south-west side, with a bowling green used for informal sessions in summer. Barbecues are not allowed....
Wandsworth Common · Walk-in
Walk-in
West London
Chapter 5 · 6 parks
West
Bishop's Park runs along the Thames beside Fulham Palace, up to Craven Cottage. The riverside path can close on Fulham home matchdays and closes overnight....
Putney Bridge · Walk-in
Walk-in
West
Holland Park has the Kyoto Garden, a Japanese garden with koi ponds and a waterfall, and peacocks roam among the trees. It is formal, wooded and hushed. It is...
Holland Park · Walk-in
Walk-in
Central
Kensington Gardens has the Round Pond and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground with its wooden pirate ship. It is noticeably calmer than Hyde Park...
Queensway / Lancaster Gate · Walk-in
Walk-in
West
Paddington Recreation Ground has an athletics track and 13 floodlit tennis courts, bookable from 8am to 9pm. It is run by Everyone Active, near Maida Vale...
Maida Vale · Walk-in
Walk-in
West
Ravenscourt Park has a Victorian walled garden of roses, arches and herbaceous beds, and a café in the old stable block. It is straight off the District line...
Ravenscourt Park · Walk-in
Walk-in
West
Wormwood Scrubs is 80 hectares (200 acres) of rough grassland, the largest open space in Hammersmith and Fulham. It has pitches and endless room for dogs....
East Acton / White City · Walk-in
Walk-in
Frequently asked questions
How do I pick a London park that works for the whole group?
London parks for group picnics and kickabouts is curated for group plans. Filter by picnic, barbecue, kickabout, swimming and more, then rank the shortlist so the journey works for everyone coming, not who shouted loudest in the chat.
Can we barbecue in Royal Parks?
All eight Royal Parks ban barbecues. Filter this Placelist for barbecue to see borough parks with designated areas, then rank those parks for your group.
Can we use this list for a fireworks-weekend park meet?
Yes, as a park meet before the gates, not as a fireworks list. Battersea Park and Alexandra Palace Park have ticketed displays on 7 and 8 November 2026. Blackheath is Saturday 7 November only. Book official tickets, meet on this list, then walk to the gates together.
How does FairWhere rank places on London parks for group picnics and kickabouts?
FairWhere ranks venues on this Placelist by FairWhere Score: journey fairness for your whole group, not by popularity, sponsorship, or who suggested the place first. Open Plan a fair meet to add origins and see the ranked shortlist.
Do I need everyone in the same area of London?
No. FairWhere is built for groups coming from different zones. Add each person's start location and it ranks venues so the travel burden is as fair as possible across the group.
Is this free to use?
Browsing Placelists and creating a basic plan with estimate-only ranking is free in the London beta. Optional live checks and deeper routing may use credits where offered.
Where next
South Bank Meeting PointsWhen ‘the park’ is too vague: use a landmark pin.
Hampstead Heath Meeting PointsExact gates and viewpoints on the Heath.
Free Museums: LondonIndoor plan when the grass is soggy.
More from FairWhere
- Quiet pubs, bars and cafés in LondonA calm indoor room when the park is too windy to talk.