“So chaotic”: A “Cake Picnic” in Lagos went viral for all the wrong reasons. What are they?

What was supposed to be Lagos’s first Cake Picnic turned into chaos, with viral videos showing attendees clawing at cakes with their bare hands.

What are Cake Picnics?

London-based UX designer Elisa Sunga created the Cake Picnic last year as an annual event where guests bring cakes, spread blankets in a park, and share slices in a relaxed and orderly manner. The only rule is simple: “No cake, no entry.”

Attendees are expected to bring a cake, take photos of the often elaborate creations, and then use utensils to serve themselves. According to The New York Times, attendees at a recent Cake Picnic in San Francisco included pastry chefs, home bakers, and even individuals who brought store-bought cakes. At a March event, there were nearly 1,400 cakes.

According to write-ups of similar events held in other U.S. cities, these gatherings are calm, almost genteel affairs. However, something sinister occurred at the Cake Picnic held in Lagos.

What happened at the Lagos one?

The Lagos event was chaotic, as Debs’ video and others clearly showed. Some social media users even called it a “royal rumble.”

@beeplebeepybeep Cake picnic Lagos, Nigeria #cakepicniclagos #cake #picnic #placesinlagos #eventsinlagos #lagos #cakepicnic @cakefestivalpicniclagos ♬ original sound – debs 🪻

Instead of following the usual etiquette of sharing cakes with utensils, people caught attendees grabbing and smashing slices with their hands, sparking a frenzy that quickly went viral. According to MSN, critics accused the organisers of breaking the no-cake-no-entry rule by letting in people who showed up empty-handed but paid at the door.

The outlet also reported that some Nigerians linked the disorder to a “scarcity mindset,” arguing that guests felt the need to hoard cake out of fear there wouldn’t be enough to go around.

Ultimately, though, the organizers took the blame for the mess. They posted an apology on Instagram, admitting flaws in planning and promising to do better.

“We’re deeply grateful to everyone who attended our first Cake Picnic Festival in Lagos. Your presence, support, and energy meant the world to us,” their statement read.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. We take full responsibility for the shortcomings in planning and organisation, and we sincerely apologise. We promise to learn from this and do better next time. Thank you for believing in us.”

Clips of the chaotic Lagos event quickly spread across social media, sparking reactions from around the world—including some Americans wondering how the situation had unraveled so badly.

“Scrolling TikTok and tell me how I ended up at a disastrous cake picnic in Lagos,” one user posted to X. “The edits are so funny.”

“Tell me why the Lagos one was so chaotic,” another content creator asked while sharing two videos from the picnic.

Even viewers who watched Debs’ TikTok clip said they were horrified.

“This one is called cake panic, not picnic,” one woman joked.

“I’m starting to believe we were not fed enough as kids, because why?” another wrote.

“I’m sorry, but the moment I see someone grab a chunk of cake with their BARE HANDS, I’m leaving,” a third viewer added.

“I have gone from shocked to disappointed,” a fourth concluded.

Others said the footage made them grateful their own city’s picnics were tame by comparison.

“After watching [the] Nigerian cake picnic, this is a breath of fresh air,” one man quipped, posting a video of a calm gathering where women nearly collected small slices of cake.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Debs via a comment on TikTok.

“So chaotic”: A “Cake Picnic” in Lagos went viral for all the wrong reasons. What are they?

What are Cake Picnics?

What happened at the Lagos one?

Viewers react on social media