It’s 1 a.m, and Lauren Kelley is still awake, carefully piping orange creamsicle buttercream onto a vanilla cake. The next morning, she packages her late-night masterpiece tight enough to survive the commute, carries it upright for five blocks, and holds it on her lap during the 30-minute bus ride across San Francisco to the Legion of Honor. She gets in line behind 500 others, but by the end of the day, 1,387 people will have shown up.
Although none of Kelley’s friends could tag along, she starts talking to the girls behind her in line, each one of them holding a cake of their own. People move quickly, setting down their creations on display tables, posing for photos, and exchanging Instagram handles as excited chatter fills the air. Within an hour, the green lawn is covered with towers of cakes stretching across long tables draped in white linen.
And while Kelley arrived solo, she is not alone. She’s one of thousands who bought a ticket to attend the event that finally reached her city, each person armed with a unique and delicious treat.
This is Cake Picnic.
What is Cake Picnic?
Cake Picnic is a movement started by Elisa Sunga in San Francisco in April 2024. Sunga, whose day job is a UX Program Manager at Google, launched the event simply as a way to eat a lot of cake with friends. Inspired by holiday cookie exchanges and the vibes of the Alice in Wonderland tea party, Sunga wanted to add her favorite treat to the mix. “There is something so whimsical, delightful, and unexpected about cakes… Cakes are such a lovely canvas for creativity and exploration,” she told Spoon University in an interview.
At her first event in 2024, Sunga expected a small group, maybe 15 people with just as many cakes. They’d exchange names and cake slices, leaving with full stomachs and a few new friends. To spread word, she posted a simple flyer on her Instagram baking account @saltedrye, and within days, it went viral and inspired more than 180 people to attend, cakes in hand.
Realizing there was a real demand for these community cake exchanges, Sunga hosted a second, larger event in Los Angeles just two weeks later — this time drawing over 360 RSVPs in a matter of days. To keep up with logistics, Sunga realized she needed to implement a ticketing system to accurately predict attendance and plan for the resources required, like tables, boxes for leftovers, and more.
As each event attracted more attention, within two years, Cake Picnic expanded far beyond California, travelling internationally, with some events boasting over 2,000 cakes (and people). So far, there have been 14 official Cake Picnic events across the United States, as well as in cities like Melbourne, Mexico City, and London.
And although Sunga didn’t expect it to become such a community-focused event, Cake Picnic’s growth has allowed people — especially Gen Z — to embrace what it means to be part of something bigger. In a post-pandemic world, many crave the presence of a “third space,” beyond home, work, or school. And as traditional third spaces continue to disappear, Cake Picnic has become a place for people to gather, express creativity, and bask in life’s small pleasures — like eating cake.
How does Cake Picnic work?
While the original motto behind Cake Picnic was “no cake, no entry,” it’s now more like “no cake or ticket, no entry.” Even if you have a perfectly-crafted vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and strawberry mango jam like Reeva Paluri, who attended the two-day April 2025 Cake Picnic in San Diego, securing a ticket to these highly sought after events is not an easy feat. All three Cake Picnic attendees Spoon chatted with emphasized that tickets for each event sell out in under 30 seconds.
But if you’re lucky enough to win the ticket war, it’s time to start brainstorming the perfect cake. Although, there are rules for that, too. Each cake must be a minimum of eight inches wide and three inches tall. And while store-bought cakes are allowed, the website notes that all cakes, “must be on cake boards for display and decorated beautifully.” This is certainly not a last-minute, slap-some-canned frosting-on-and-go kind of event.
Attendees have brought everything from pineapple upside down cakes to trifles and multi-generational family recipes. “The cake you bring becomes part of the story we share that day,” the website notes. For new bakers, they suggest practicing on a few test cakes beforehand.
Once you arrive, volunteers ensure you pass the cake inspection (no cupcakes, aluminum pans, etc.), assign you a colored wristband, and you place your cake and label on one of the many display tables. After all cakes are lined up, attendees are called by wristband color and have about five minutes to fill a box with as many slices as they can carry. It’s chaotic and requires strategy, which is why TikTok creator @eatsbyrachel described it as “the cake hunger games.”
But beyond the inevitable sugar rush, it’s the experience and creative challenge that keep people coming back.
What is attending a Cake Picnic like?
Maria Lejano (@artbymlejano), who also attended a Cake Picnic in San Diego, was drawn to the event because she “wanted to see what [she] could make, but most importantly, what others could create.” After much consideration, Lejano baked an Earl Grey tea cake with mango buttercream, and described the event as surprisingly peaceful once the chaos of the exchange ended. “There was a local singer playing the guitar, and everyone was chilling on their picnic blanket eating delicious cake while enjoying each other’s company,” she shared with Spoon University.
Reeva Paluri (@semisweetfood) described a similar vibe. “Everyone was really friendly. It was calm and peaceful, and felt exactly like what it sounds like: a cake picnic in the flower fields.”
Both Lejano and Paluri said they would attend another Cake Picnic in a heartbeat. But not every experience is perfect. Collette Fisher, who attended a Cake Picnic in San Francisco, described the overall vibe as upbeat and even made new friends, but noted that she’d likely only attend again if the cakes were moved indoors due to the heat and crowds. Other attendees online have mentioned similar issues, mentioning flies, bees, and curdling buttercream. But for many, that might simply be the trade-off for an outdoor event with perishable art.
Still, attendees mentioned the ingenuity of some of the creations, including one with an ube base, matcha frosting, and fresh strawberries; a Dubai chocolate cake; and even one designed like a stack of pancakes.
“I think cake picnics are so popular because of how simple yet exciting, thoughtful, and uniting they are,” Paluri said. “Whether you like to bake or you have a sweet tooth, or both, Cake Picnics let you show up as you are and share it with others who love cake too. You can be as basic or creative as you want, and it’s so fun to see what everyone comes up with and feel a sense of community in coming together, too.”
Lejano echoed that sentiment, adding, “Most people bake cakes to celebrate others, and I think Cake Picnic is a fun way to celebrate yourself. Bring a cake, have fun, enjoy a good dessert, and laugh with amazing people. It’s a great way to have fun and be surrounded by positive energy.”
What’s next for Cake Picnic?
Since its start in the Bay Area, Cake Picnic has grown far beyond what founder Elisa Sunga ever imagined. “I didn’t think that Cake Picnic would go beyond San Francisco. But my emails and DMs have been overwhelmed with requests from cities all over the world,” she said. “Touring with Cake Picnic has been so eye opening because every tour stop is so different — from the attendees, flavors, ingredients, and cake styles. I love seeing the different takes on cake!”
Some attendees like Paluri have even started hosting their own mini Cake Picnics with family and friends while they wait for the official event to return to their city. And fortunately, for anyone inspired to recreate this cake-based community themselves, Sunga’s upcoming cookbook is the perfect guide. “The first half of the book is a guide on how to host a similar event in backyards and living room spaces to create themed picnics that everyone, anywhere can enjoy. I’m not sure if Cake Picnic can visit every town and city that would like a tour stop so this is a great way to see it continue to grow.”
It’s clear that Cake Picnic isn’t just a one-off, or even solely American, event. Its global reach emphasizes Gen Z’s need for community spaces that embrace our creative and playful sides, something Cake Picnic delivers every time. In the words of Sunga: “Never apologize for trying ten slices in one sitting ― happiness often comes frosted, sprinkled, and cut into generous servings.”