What was meant to be a sweet Saturday in Lagos ended up being a masterclass in what not to do when organising a public event. The much-anticipated Cake Picnic, a global dessert-sharing phenomenon, made its Nigerian debut this weekend. But instead of calm, cheerful cake-cutting, Lagos got a sugar-fuelled stampede.

The Cake Picnic, founded by London-based UX designer Elisa Sunga, is normally a picture of order and charm: guests bring a cake, lay down a blanket, and share neat slices with strangers. There is just one golden rule – no cake, no entry.

In cities like London, New York, and even other destinations like Indonesia, the day unfolds like clockwork. First, the cake display. Then, a few photos. And, everyone helps themselves in turn, going back for seconds, thirds, or fourths until only crumbs remain.

But Lagos’ version? Well, let us just say the cakes did not stand a chance. The only part that matched the original was the pretty arrangement at the start. Once it was time to serve, all sense of order collapsed. Viral videos now making the rounds show attendees pushing, grabbing, and scooping icing with bare hands. Some smashed whole cakes in grab-all attempts, earning the event a new nickname online: the Royal Rumble.

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Critics are blaming poor organisation. Some allege the no cake, no entry rule was quietly scrapped in favour of accepting payments from cake-less guests. As one X user, Marknit0 puts it: Come to find out the organizers collected 7k from people with NO CAKE, hence the struggle. The whole point of this picnic is to trade your cake for someone else’s cake, so the people with no cake, whose cake were they planing on trading with? THE ORGANIZERS ARE THE PROBLEM

Popular food critic Opeyemi Famakin revealed he had turned down offers to organise the Nigerian edition despite brands pooling nearly ₦20 million.

 All the money that they all put together was close to ₦20 million, but money is not my driving force. No matter the amount you offer me, as far as it is in Nigeria, I will always decline for me to organise the event. The answer would always be no.

The takeaway? A globally loved tradition can easily turn awry without proper planning, clear rules, and crucially, the will to enforce them. For any future edition of Lagos’ Cake Picnic, organisers will need stricter entry checks, more serving staff, crowd control barriers, and a clear queueing system to keep things civil. With better planning, the city could yet have its own sweet and memorable version, one that makes headlines for the right reasons.

Anita Chinedu