A Sweet Celebration: Giant Cake Picnic Brings Joy to Sydney

Sun Mar 29 2026 00:14:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A whimsical Cake Picnic event transforms Sydney's Botanic Gardens into a cake lover's paradise, featuring over 500 participants and an array of delectable treats.

The Cake Picnic in Sydney, which has previously charmed audiences in cities like San Francisco and New York, has made its debut in Australia, drawing over 500 baking enthusiasts. The joyful gathering showcases a vibrant collection of homemade cakes, fostering a sense of community and creativity amidst a backdrop of Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge. Founder Elisa Sunga reflects on the event's delightful whimsy and its power to unite people through shared culinary experiences.

Welcome to Cake Picnic, Sydney edition.

It's the viral event that's already sold out dates in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. Tickets in Dubai, London, and Mexico City were harder to come by than a double-yolk egg.

And now it's landed on Australian shores, with a Melbourne event earlier this month boasting 1,600 cakes in one sitting.

I had no idea that I could ever go on tour for cake, laughs Cake Picnic founder Elisa Sunga, a part-time hobby baker and full-time Google employee specializing in AI.

People go on tour for music and whatnot, but for cake, Sunga says. It just seems so whimsical and delightful to be able to do that.

The concept is simple. Two years ago, Sunga - who moved to San Francisco aged 12 from her hometown of Baguio City in the Philippines - posted an online invite for a small gathering with one request: everyone must bring a cake.

The 35-year-old figured maybe a dozen or so people might turn up and brought seven cakes to make sure everyone would get a taste.

To her amazement, close to 200 people came with more than 180 cakes devoured.

Her simple, sugar-laden summons has since caused ripples across the foodie world.

It feels unreal, Sunga tells the BBC. I had no idea that thousands of people all over the world would be as excited as I am.

There's plenty of excitement among the 500-plus crowd gathering at Saturday's event in Sydney's Botanic Gardens.

As they line up to have their cakes inspected, many participants baked well into the night.

From home bakers to professionals, influencers to non-bakers, everyone places their cakes on the tables stretching across the grassy knoll, with Sydney's famed Harbour Bridge as the backdrop.

Once the cakes have been laid out, pictures snapped, recipes shared, and compliments sprinkled, small groups take turns decimating the decadence before them, with five minutes to cut, carve, and cram as many morsels of cake into a large pizza box.

The event has transformed into a vibrant, shared experience, emphasizing community, creativity, and the joys of baking.