It was a sunny Sunday morning in San Francisco’s Marina District, the perfect weather for a picnic. Bess and Sidney, co-creators of the unofficial, free cake picnic were setting up a row of folding tables with decorative pink gingham table cloths and enough cake cutters for the anticipated crowd. This offshoot of the official Cake Picnic was created by two friends who were unable to grab a ticket to the aforementioned event. They decided to create a picnic with their group of friends, then, on a whim, decided to open their private Partiful to the public.
Three free Cake Picnics later, word of mouth spread to those who also weren’t able to snag a ticket to the highly coveted official picnic. While not everyone who selects “going” attends, it was still a healthy turn out of around 150-200 cake enthusiasts. You aren’t required to bring a cake, there are no restrictions to the size of the cake, and there are no limits to the definition of a “cake.” Come ready to try an array of flavors and mingle with a welcoming community.
“It’s one of my favorite events of the year,” one attendee said. “My favorite part about Cake Picnic is being able to try new flavors that you never thought of before,” said another attendee. “I tried one that had fish sauce in it, and I never thought that would be good in a cake. It brought out the sweetness. I love seeing combinations like that. A lot of people are showing up and getting out of their comfort zone to give cakes to friends and strangers.”
There was chatter comparing the camaraderie of this event to the official Cake Picnic. They loved the intimate atmosphere of this event. Strangers and friends coming together to try cakes is how the official Picnic started. As commodification prevailed, community suffered. Popularity brought thousands of guests. New requirements of the cakes emerged: no tins, cakes must be at least 8 inches, they must be aesthetically pleasing, so on and so forth. A tiered system was implemented: the lowest tier, $50, gave you last pick of the 2,000 cakes supplied. Top-tiered $150 tickets received first pick. As more and more hands got to the cakes, all that was left were crumbs.
We learned from an attendee who applied to volunteer to clean-up that one of the alleged application questions was how many Instagram followers they had. We were unable to verify this with their current volunteer form. An advertised competition on their website where entry was to post a recording of yourself attempting to purchase a ticket. Your reaction of succeeding or failing could win you a ticket to a future Cake Picnic. Everything has become an Instagramable moment.
At this free Cake Picnic, I barely saw a phone out. Everyone was enjoying the moment and the conversations. They took their time picking which cake they wanted. There were some instances where you felt rushed, but that was only when a cake you really wanted was running low. Cakes were slowly rolling in even as we started cutting. Savory bites like lasagna and bread rolls provided a well-needed break from the almost overwhelming sweetness of it all. Those who brought Tupperwear filled it with small pieces of each cake.
Those who brought a cake, you could tell, put a lot of love into their creations. Many cakes were gawked at. There were audible “ohs” and “ahs” after each reveal. Those I talked to shared the creative process behind their cake; how they sourced the fruits and flowers, the recipe, how they decided the placement of certain items. Hearing these bakers try their cakes themselves and say, “Wait, that’s actually really good,” put a smile on everyone’s faces.
Keep an eye out on future free Cake Picnic’s by checking our event page. We’ll notify you on if Bess and Sidney create an official account for their free group. Or, maybe this inspires you to create a cake picnic with you and your friends!
