Lakeside at Carousel | Melbourne

With gathering restrictions continuing to ease and the weather slowly warming up, picnics are set to be very much on the menu for the next few months. And we've now scored another premium picnic destination, in Lakeside at Carousel — a new al fresco pop-up from the folks behind renowned South Melbourne venue Half Acre and local catering company Food & Desire.

This one sees Albert Park Lake's famed Carousel building and waterfront Pelican Lawn transformed into a lush picnic ground, open daily until the end of summer. There'll be umbrella-shaded spots for groups, and various furniture and picnicking gear available to hire, ranging from deck chairs to fold-up tables. Or you can BYO rug to throw down on the sunny turf as you please.

Punters are welcome to pack a picnic feast from home, though it'll be hard to pass up the range of culinary delights offered on-site. Lawnside takeaway windows are slinging a menu of seasonal fare that's best enjoyed perched on a blanket with the sun on your back. Think, cheese and charcuterie boards, loaded mezze platters, Chicago-style hot dogs, and classic fish and chips. Breakfast might include açai bowls, and bacon and egg rolls, while sweet-toothed folk can delight in the likes of hot jam doughnuts and a summer pavlova ice cream situation. Food is available from 9am through till sunset, every day.

A pop-up bottle shop will be supplying picnickers with wine and cocktails, and there'll be a calendar of live tunes and DJ sets to keep you entertained.

Prefer a traditional restaurant set-up? Carousel's The Deck will also host sit-down dine-ins for lunch and dinner from Sunday, November 7.