Abstract/Summary

The Urban Picnic Caracas (the first urban picnic of a series that has been ongoing uninterruptedly since 2011) was produced by the art, play and protest collective Ser Urbano, led by artists, architects, journalists, urban designers, social & political scientists and university students. The participatory picnics are ‘performed’ in publics spaces in Caracas, every Tuesday evening. The picnics are meant to defy fear of urban insecurity and reclaim the right of to use public spaces freely, gathering around the tablecloth to share homemade food, poetry, art and music to encourage positive interactions with passersby. The first Urban Picnic took place in 2011, in a desolate Bulevar Sabana Grande, very close to the Gran Café. Food is always at the centre of the ‘performance’: there was red cabbage and romaine lettuce salad, vegetable stew in tomato sauce, and mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese. Our first urban picnic in Libertador Municipality, and the first of 2011, was on the remodeled section of Sabana Grande Boulevard, very close to the Gran Cafe. Continuing with the gourmet trend, But the best thing was the way we were treated by the pedestrians, who would say "Enjoy your meal," "Happy New Year," and even one guy who walked by whispering "How awesome." After sharing food and conversation, we played frisbee for a while on the boulevard, then lifted the red and white striped Moroccan tablecloth—the official tablecloth of Picnic Urbano Caracas—and walked to the Callejón de la Puñalada where we admired the beautiful mural dedicated to music and the city. We were safe. We walked to the alley after 10 p.m. and the seven of us left around midnight to a parking lot very close to the bar Sal Si Puedes.