Best BBQ and picnic parks in Croydon
Wangal Park is the best place in Croydon for a big BBQ, with a shelter that seats up to 70 people and can be hired. Centenary Park suits a picnic under cover, while Blair Park offers a lone table for a quick outing. These picks differ on cover, tables and toilets, so your choice depends on how many people are coming.
Quick picks
- Big group: Wangal Park has a BBQ shelter that seats up to 70 people and can be hired for functions.
- Covered picnic: Centenary Park has two undercover picnic tables, so you can eat in the sun or the rain.
- Short picnic with a toddler: Blair Park has a lone table close to its fenced play area.
Wangal Park for a large covered BBQ shelter
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Wangal Park is the pick for a big group, because its large BBQ shelter seats up to 70 people and can be hired for functions and birthday parties. Five smaller shelters are spread through the grounds, so you can cook without booking. Electric BBQs and sheltered tables mean you can set up a full lunch under cover. Compared with Centenary and Blair, it has the most covered space and the widest choice of tables. The young trees give limited shade, so bring a hat. Wheelchair-accessible toilets are in the park, and street parking lines its edges.
Best for: Big family lunches and birthday parties with a BBQ
Centenary Park for picnic tables under cover
- BBQs
- Covered shelter
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Centenary Park is the pick for a picnic you can eat in the rain, because two picnic tables sit under cover beside its barbecue area. The park is set up for sport, with two full-size soccer fields, cricket wickets and a basketball court, so a family lunch can go alongside a game on the fields. Toilets, a baby change room and the canteen are all in one block. Queen and Church Streets both offer kerbside parking, with the land sloping down into the park. Dogs must stay on a leash here, and Bede Spillane Dog Park is on the corner of Croydon Road and Queen Street.
Best for: Picnics that need cover, with toilets and a canteen on site
Blair Park for one picnic table by a fenced playground
- Picnic tables
- Toilets
- Playground
- Parking
Blair Park is the pick for a short picnic with a toddler, since the one table is on the eastern side, next to the play area. The playground is fenced off from the rest of the park, which helps with little ones who wander. Public toilets include an accessible male and female pair, and free street parking runs along Queen Street. The park's details don't list a BBQ, so plan a picnic rather than a cook-up. Benches are spread across the park, and the large sports field on the western side has flood lights for evening use.
Best for: A short picnic with young children and toilets nearby
How the parks compare
By area
Every BBQ and picnic park in and near Croydon
The table below compares every park in Croydon on BBQs, shelters, picnic tables, toilets and parking.
| Park | BBQs | Shelter | Tables | Toilets | Playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.Wangal Park | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2.Centenary Park | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3.Blair Park | – | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4.Bell Reserve | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✗ |
| Nearby, outside Croydon | |||||
| Wadim Bill Jegorow Reserve · Haberfield | – | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Charles Heath Reserve · Five Dock | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Croker Park · Five Dock | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
| Rotary Park · Ashfield | – | – | – | – | ✓ |
How we picked
Each park was judged on the BBQs, covered shelters, tables, toilets, play equipment for kids and the setting. A gap in the table is a dash, meaning the details never said, rather than a no. Bell Reserve has picnic tables and a shelter area in a small heritage garden, but no BBQ, toilets or parking are listed, so it falls below the three picks.
FAQ
Which park in Croydon has BBQs you can use without booking?
Wangal Park. Its smaller shelters run first-come, first-served, so no booking is needed. The large shelter that seats up to 70 people is the one you hire.
Can I have a picnic under cover in Croydon?
Yes, at Centenary Park. Two picnic tables sit under cover, which gives shelter from sun or rain. Wangal Park's BBQ shelters also keep the weather off if you cook there.
Are there toilets at the Croydon picnic parks?
Wangal Park, Centenary Park and Blair Park all have toilets. Wangal's include wheelchair-accessible ones, Centenary's are in the facilities block with a baby change room, and Blair's include an accessible male and female pair.
Where can I park for a picnic at Blair Park?
Blair Park has free kerbside parking on Queen Street. The park has no dedicated accessible spaces, so anyone who needs a spot close to the entrance should check the street options on arrival.