Hundreds of Cakes Take Over Governors Island on Oct 17

General admission for this picnic is sold out, and only the pricier Cake Picnic Club ticket was still on sale on October 15. Cake Picnic runs on one rule: every ticket holder brings one whole cake to share. Homemade and store-bought cakes are equally welcome, and the organizers openly encourage buying from local bakeries. The New York fall edition takes over Colonels Row Green on Governors Island on Saturday, October 17, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Ticket holders get the final schedule by email. The optional theme this round is sweet and spooky.

Once the cakes are out, guests taste slices from across the spread and talk with the people who brought them. Expect fall flavors such as pumpkin spice, brown butter, toffee, salted caramel, black sesame, kabocha and caramel apple, with Pistakio sharing extra sweets. The last New York fall stop, in November 2025, gathered 916 cakes. Pack layers and a picnic blanket for an afternoon on open grass. A separate Cake Picnic 5K starts at 9:00 AM the same morning, with its own ticket and a slice at the finish.

Check the ticketing page for Club availability before baking or buying a cake. Everyone age 3 and up needs a ticket and a whole cake at least 8 inches wide and 3 inches tall, on a cake board, not in an aluminum or tin pan. Groups must check in together, with the buyer present holding photo ID and the confirmation email. Arrivals after the emailed cutoff are turned away. Ferries are free on Saturdays before 11:00 AM. Take the 10:30 AM or 10:45 AM boat from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, or the 10:15 AM boat from Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Carry the cake flat in its box.