UC Davis Picnic Day, Davis (4/18/2026- UC Davis Picnic Day) First time here and had a great time! Although the lines are long for majority of the exhibitions, it was worth checking out! Upon arrival, I missed the parade so I could line up for the petting zoo, see some cows, watching some chicks being hatch and see some snakes. There were some animals we missed because of the long lines everywhere! It was hot as expected, there were many food trucks options available for everyone to enjoy! There were several Halal food vendors too! Highly recommended to come here but make sure you bring a hat and a fan, it's super hot! Stay hydrated too! Would come back next year!! read more

UC Davis Picnic Day - Festivals Near Me - Davis, California

We had an amazing time--everything was truly wonderful. The entire day was thoughtfully organized, making it easy for everyone to relax and enjoy. It was very family-friendly, with great activities that kept the children engaged and happy throughout. We had so much fun and created some really special memories. We'll definitely be coming back next year. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible--we truly appreciate all the effort and care that went into making it such a great experience. read more

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Adj: Family-Friendly, Fun for All, and Free! The UC Davis Picnic Day, a truly local and historic event. 2 years ago in 2024, UCD celebrated its 110th Picnic Day, that's a long tradition for sure. We have gone to Picnic Day several times over the years and it's always a wonderful event, not only b/c it's my alma mater, but b/c it's truly a grassroots organized and student-run event. Although we can't always make it, sometimes we have time conflicts with other activities, Picnic Day really is worth the time and effort to go at least once every few years. First off, I would suggest getting there early for parking and to avoid the crowds that would come later in the morning or lunch time. Many activities start by 10a, so getting there about 9-930a makes sense for getting a parking spot in the garages of some of the lots if they're open for public parking, and also to hit the most popular demo's and samples that often run out. Amongst our favorites are the Chemistry Show, Slime Time, Liquid Nitrogen Sorbet (this sometimes run out), the Etymology Dept's various bugs displays, the plant give-aways, food sampling in the food science dept to include fruit tasting, popcorn of different kinds, and olive oil tasting, etc. and also watching the Picnic Day Parade. Oddly, we have never seen the dachshund races, which means we really need to come to Picnic Day again so we can finally watch that iconic event. My kids really love going to Picnic Day and seeing all the animals, bugs, science demos/experiments, and various interesting AG and STEM presentations. Overall, it's a great family-friendly, free, and fun-for-everyone event, so I highly recommend it and this year, it'll be on Saturday April 18, 2026 which is literally around the corner, so don't miss it! =) read more

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Picnic Day is always the best event of the year! There are many fun and interesting educational exhibits. The live performances and parade are always exciting. The parade is typically one of the first events that start in the morning. It is an excellent family friendly event that kids seem to enjoy. I've been to picnic day numerous times and this was my first time visiting the Children's Discovery area which featured many different art activities for young children. Picnic day is typically hosted on the third Saturday every April. There is free parking during this event. read more

Picnic Day 2025 will be April 12. Since its inception in 1909, Picnic Day has become the crown-jewel event of the UC system and the signature event of UC Davis. One of the largest student-run events in the nation, Picnic Day showcases the richness of diversity and achievement at UC Davis and the surrounding community in the areas of research, teaching, service, and campus life. It's a big "open house" and it's a good time. read more

UC Davis Picnic Day - Festivals Near Me - Davis, California

Picnic Day is such a great time to have fun with your family exploring the culture and college of UC Davis. I serves as a time of tradition and nostalgia inside my home, serving as a fun day to enjoy myself. read more

Picnic Day is a popular, annual, student-run event where departments show off their Aggie pride. My family has been attending, on and off, for years. Our favorite events tend to revolve around dogs: Frisbee dogs, K-9 demos, dachshund races. The best way to enjoy UCD Picnic Day is to arrive early for easy parking and pick 2-3 events and go from there! There are demos, presentations, plant give-aways, tours, tastings, bands, food booths, food trucks, and more. This year, we arrived by 9:30 am - early enough to pick up a few free cherry tomato plants and find great seats to watch the start of the Parade. We also participated in an olive-oil tasting, tried samples of chocolate chip ice cream (it could compete with the best commercial premium brands on the market), watched a cool marching band, and listened to a presentation about their wine-making program. No dogs for us this year but we had a great time nonetheless. It's hard not be impressed by UCD as all of the students involved in Picnic Day do a fantastic job showing off their depts. read more

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The University of California at Davis holds an annual open house that is called Picnic Day, likely a throwback to the original picnic done over 100 years ago. Now, the university opens its doors to the community for a day of events and exhibits. It takes place all over campus with free parking available throughout campus. Traffic is usually bad, so bike or take the train if you can. There are many events across the campus. Most of the colleges have special displays and interactive exhibits to show off their student activities and to recruit the next generation. The most popular are usually at the agricultural sciences area involving milking cows and a petting zoo. I also enjoy the engineering areas and art displays. Many people also enjoy the wiener dog races and the parade. The university also hosts lots of live music and sport events on Picnic Day. Most of the stuff is very family friendly attracting many kids. Many of which went home with maggot art! Food is a good draw for any event. Picnic Day now attracts a huge number of food trucks along with the student associations set up near the union. Several of the campus dining options are also open on Picnic Day. The event has become much less about the students over the years with the crackdown on parties and booze. There are still lots of students on campus which is pretty cool, but the overall feel is more of a homecoming event for alumni than a student event. I understand that it got out of hand turning into a bacchanalia with lots of Bay Area trash, but it has become a bit too sanitized. It's always a balance, but I wish it was a bit more rough around the edges. It is always fun to pretend I'm a college student again or at least enjoy being around them. I was impressed by some of the college exhibits and excited for the next generation. Picnic Day remains a great regional tradition. read more

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UC Davis 100 years Picnic Day is my first Picnic Day!!! This day is THE day of the year that turns the whole town upside down. Literally yesterday was very calm. Today aka Picnic Day has waken up all the partying spirits of not only students but parents! Since this year is my first time, there are 5 things that I wish I could have done to improve or utilize my walkings to see the most events on campus: 1) Briefly go on the UC Davis Picnic Day website at least a day ahead to highlight all events you would like to see. Trust me, on the day of, there will be so many people looking happy, you will be way too excited to follow them! 2) If you are planning to bring your dog, cross out Doxie Derby (the pup race) at the ARC. Unless your dog is a service dog, they will not allow you to bring in your little ones. I had to learn this the hard way, as so many other dog owners. 3) Go to sleep early the night before, because you need to wake up early to catch the parade at 9:30am!!!! 4) Get your sunscreen ready, or go buy an umbrella/ a hat! The weather will be hot (not so much of burning hot). Prepared for your skin away from the sun is healthy for you, since you are expected to be out for HOURS! 5) Bring a bottle of water!!! You will easily get dehydrated. Campus had a variety of places for you to refill your water bottle. Anyways, enjoy the best Aggie tradition! For those who visit Davis for the first time, welcome to the town of awesomeness! read more

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Picnic Day is what Davis is all about. A day where people from all over come to see what UCD has to offer. The event is ran almost entirely by students, from shows to food stands. Some things worth trying/watching: - Doxie Derby - Milking a cow - Chemistry Magic Show - Lazer Maze (Although they didn't have it this year) - Parade - Fashion Show - Never watched it myself but heard it was great. - DDR (Davis Dance Revolution) - $15/$20 for students/non-students at the door, but this is by far my favorite thing to watch. A dance competition between the different dance crews on campus. - Liquid nitrogen ice cream - Dogs to pet and dog show by Pavilion - Food and shows on the Quad all day long. There are so many more things that could be done. I kinda wish I tried to do more these past years, but I just got drunk and had fun. Notes: - Picnic Day = lots of drunk college students everywhere downtown. Watch out or join them. - Dogs allowed everywhere outdoors. - Free parking on campus read more

Picnic Day is an annual tradition of welcoming prospective students, alumni, their family and pets, and anyone who wants to visit, to a festive celebration and open house of the entire expansive campus. It's a great opportunity for alumni to reminisce on their glory days and for teens to catch a glimpse of what college life in UC Davis would be like. It's just plain fun to come here for a day. Oh, did I mention that it was free? Other than the food, of course... Be sure to grab a newspaper containing all the activities, schedules, and campus map to help you plan the day. To begin the day, there is the pancake breakfast you can sit in on at Freeborn Hall early in the morning. If you want to catch the much-anticipated chemistry magic show, be sure to get in line for the the tickets as early as you can at Rock Hall (formerly Chem 194). When we arrived at 9, the line already stretched to two city block equivalents! We stood in line for approximately 30 minutes before we got our tickets for the 11:30 show. There were also 1 PM and 2 PM shows. We were advised to arrive by 11:10 to get in line for the best seats. If you weren't able to get your hands on tickets, there's also a chance you can get into the show if others (with tickets) don't show. It started off a little slow but it finished with a bang. It was a good showcase to show everyone that science is not only nerdy but also fun AND cool. The parade was scheduled to begin at 9:30, but by 10 it still hadn't started. There were plenty of marching bands, floats, horses, kids, etc to enjoy. Just be aware that once the parade has begun, you won't be able to cross the street on the parade route. The quad is where the crowds congregated for music, food, and sunbathing. There were plenty of food booths (sponsored by clubs on campus) to choose from: root beer floats, hot dogs, Hawaiian BBQ sandwiches, hamburgers, snow cones, Korean BBQ, etc. If none of those foods sound enticing to your ears, there are always the There is a kids areas at the Alumni Center next to the Arboretum where you could test your aim as a quarterback and as a baseball pitcher. There were also other booths and a food vendor. There are also sports events to behold, just as soccer, water polo, and baseball game. My favorites of the entire event: -- Going to the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center) and appreciating the beauty of the architecture. It was the most amazing state-of-the-art gym I've ever set foot in. The gymnasium was huge that spanned 4 basketball courts across. Above it was a running track. It was thoroughly amusing to observe that there were fast and slow lanes and direction changes with day. There were also 6 volleyball courts, squash courts, martial arts studio, dance studio, group exercise studio, and cardio and weight machines. The cardio machines had TVs on the control panels. Memberships are free for students and about $300 for alumni. FYI, the tour didn't begin until 11 AM. -- The event is welcoming to canines. I really enjoyed greeting the many dogs that walked by. Turns out the Doxie Derby was always the most popular event at the ARC Pavilion (Rec Hall) next to the ARC. Other fun stuff included a chance to milk a cow/goat. You won't believe it but the line for this was enormous! There are also free plants and bug exhibits. We didn't get a chance to go to the biomedical horrors exhibit although it might be disturbing to the kiddies. We also missed the laser maze(?). Most of the events finish around 3. You can go bowl a game or play pool in the arcade under the book store. It's a frenzy at the bookstore but the lines weren't long with at least 6 cashiers open. When you visit, you must consider your location of parking. When we parked at the West Entry parking structure 2 years ago, we were stuck there for an hour waiting to get out! Parking outside along La Rue road will heat your car into a convection oven by late afternoon. Be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, hat, and warm weather clothing. Bring water to stay hydrated because bottled water can cost as much as $3. It's a scorcher every year but the wind was howling until past noon, offering a welcomed breeze. FYI, next year is the 100th year anniversary of picnic day! read more

After hearing about the legendary Picnic Day at UC Davis for the last two years, I have finally actually attended it. In all senses of the word, it is outrageous. Are you a parent with bab(ies) or kid(s) looking for a wholesome, family activity? Picnic day is perfect for you. Are you a sexy coed, creepy frat boy, overwhelmed student, or semi-sketchy alum who desperately wants to sneak in alcohol and get wasted off your ass? You'll fit right in too. Are you a broke, furloughed, laid off depressed state worker / homeless person / cheapskate? Awesome. A dog? No problem,we've even got communal water bowls for you. What do you get, other than aching feet and calves from walking around this huge campus? Well, some of the few things you can experience, from the normal to crazy, include a parade with floats - some boring, some impeccable, and some just plain old out there, watching (plastic) horses get airlifted to safety on helicopters, miniature ponies, wiener dogs racing at top speed, horses running on treadmills, dogs jumping through obstacle courses, sheep herding, petting zoos of bugs, wacky chemistry shows, moms jogging in flip flops while pushing double strollers, and yelling drunk people. The best part is that the event AND PARKING are FREE! When it falls on a nice day, picnic day is a must-do for UC Davis affiliates, people close to Davis affiliates, and anyone who lives in the area. read more

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Picnic Day is always so fun! While many like to wake up early and get drunk, I prefer to get up early to see the parades and see all the cool exhibits all over campus. It's a family fun event which draws a lot of people every year. Most of the exhibits are the same each year, but some change or have new additions. It's still super fun to walk around the UCD campus. Some 'must sees' for me include the Chemistry Magic Show (get to Rock Hall early to get tickets!), the parade, battle of the bands, honey tasting, the animal events at Hutchinson field, the quad of the Plant and Environmental Sciences building (free plants and popcorn), the baby animals at the Cole facility, milking the cows, and the doxie derby. There's also some events by the Food Science buildings (and free grapevines) and smaller exhibits all over campus. It's cool to check out and learn something new! There's also other science shows, such as the materials science and the physics show. If you go, prepare yourself with a hat, comfortable clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a good pair of walking shoes! You'll be on your feet the majority of the day. read more

What better way to experience UC Davis school spirit than picnic day! Over hundreds of activities and 99% of them are free. Milk a cow, watch the parade, battle of the bands, liquid nitrogen ice cream, and so much more. Things you should definitely do/try - Milking a cow - Chemistry magic show - Watch/participate in parade - Go around and get free stuff - Doxie Derby contest Also, definitely get there early because parking will be difficult to find and most activities end around 5-6pm. Everyone drinks all day, you should too! read more

How can someone go to Picnic Day and not enjoy themselves??? This is an amazing event! Since I am a UC Davis alumni, Picnic Day is definitely important to me and I've been attending this event for many years. Picnic Day 2012 was not a disappointment and I had just as much fun as previous years. It was great to see the campus filled with so many students, faculty and alumni, all enjoying being an "Aggie". While you're there, you can see a ton of demonstrations and participate in many, many events like the process of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen, sampling different kinds of honey or learning how to milk a cow. This year it was extremely warm, but still comfortable. It was great to sit outside on the main quad area lawn and listen to live music and people watch...can't wait to go again! read more

Picnic Day is the nation's largest annual open house event run by students. It's held for one day on a Saturday in April, and is open to anyone (families, children, students from other schools, and pets are all welcome!) Some of the highlights: -Doxy Derby Race -Fashion Show -DDR -Battle of the Bands -Milking a Cow/Goat -Tie Dying Tshirt -Liquid Nitrogen Ice-Cream -Free Strawberry Plants -Early Morning Parade -Entertainment (Dancers, Music, etc) -Meat Lab -Petting of Horses -Chemistry Magic Show -Free stuff For underclassmen and outsiders, it's a chance to do all the cool things listed above. For the upperclassmen who have done it all, it's an excuse to get drunk all day. read more

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Davis campus is so lively and flooded with out-of-towners when it's Picnic Day! There's plenty to do or enjoy - live music, food booths, chilling outdoors or indoors, walking around to exhibits and bar hopping later on during the day! It sure is a fun, annual event that you don't want to miss out on with friends or family! Definitely a great outing experience that a UC Davis student or anyone who is affiliated with college life should check out! read more

I've heard of Picnic Day in 2009 from my UCD alumni friends, so I patiently waited to experience the next one. It was a supercalifragelisticexpialidoscious event! I'm not surprised that it is here on Yelp. Perfect sunny weather to march with the alumni band during the parade. (Well, I was being the unofficial paparazzi!) The Davis townfolks were awesome. Food booths inside campus permeated the air with BBQ's. Lots of friendly nature-loving people! The main event of course was The Battle of the Bands. It was my very first time to watch so I was really engrossed. I love live music! They played a lot of songs that was festive and upbeat. Just can't help but dance, sing or rock my head out! :-) It was a very nice experience and I think I won't get tired going to Picnic Day every year. read more

UC Davis Picnic Day - Festivals Near Me - Davis, California

Dancing on the lawn by the stage... it's like Davis's mini Coachella! It was so much fun as there was good sized amount of people jamming to dance songs as the next act was preparing for their performance. I kept thinking to myself, "So this is how music festivals are like. I gotta go to one before I get too old!" So the act up was a country duo and their voices deserved to be signed! It was a quality performance and I enjoyed being able to experience it. For the next Picnic Day, definitely check out the stage on the quad! DDR was AWESOME! It was my first time attending and it was super fun to watch. I loved all the performances; everyone was so talented. One thing I might do next time, is sit at the bleachers in the back. On the floor, it was kinda hard to see the performances in perfect view as there were all these heads in the way! I like Picnic Day. read more

As an Aggie Alumni, I always enjoy participating in the UC Davis annual picnic day as it's a reminiscent on my college days and provides a reflection of all the changes that have taken place since I left. Having said that, this is a great annual event for folks of all ages in the Sacramento and Davis area. It's particularly a fun family friendly event that provides all kids of activities for all ages. Some recommendations are as such-- 1. Morning parade 2. Animal sciences farm animals for kids 3. Mrak Hall Lawn: Battle of the bands after 12 (all UCs) 4. Food trucks for lunch (long lines) 5. Briggs hall for insect experiments and honey tasting 6. Anatomy lab for human body exhibition 7. Memorial Union Lawn for live music, booths and food Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring water. Especially for those with kids!!! read more

Love Picnic Day! I used to run a food booth here for Thai American Student Association - and although it was a lot of work, it was definitely a lot of fun as well! During the years where I wasn't helping out with the booth, there were so many activities going on - anything from laser tag to pet adoptions! And the doxie derby was always a fun even to go to. Now that I live far away, I miss going to Picnic Day at UCD every year. Of course back then I only had to bike to get to campus and didn't have to worry about parking - I'm sure that's not the case for me anymore! read more

TIP: Do not get your hopes up. Picnic Day is more of a family/kids event. It's a chance for clubs, organizations, and sponsors to get their name out there. Last year, Golden Turtle Lion Dance Association performed in the parade, and at the Silo. My Taiwanese American Organization did a small booth with a little game as a small fundraiser. On the quad, you can buy food (but it may be overpriced for small proportions). This year, my friends & I got a free small cup of ice cream made out of liquid nitrogen. We waited a whole hour for the supposedly Magic Show that never happened? So we just left. The event is a drug and alcohol free event, but majority of college students show up drunk and/or high. Not trying to be a bad influence, but if you're over 21, you will have so much more fun if you pregame :P Tip #2: If you have the money, GO TO DAVIS DANCE REVOLUTION! Super amazing performances :) Tip #3: It's usually really hot during picnic day, so dress appropriately! I love this event because IT IS CRACKIN'! People from all over the place come to just chill. Next year is the 100th year anniversary, so I'll most likely be back :) read more

That was a wild 7 mile walk from the whole day I spent in Davis! It was really fun though and worth it. I've heard a lot about Picnic Day but never went. I am very traffic-averse and parking spot-loving so i went super early at like 8:30 AM. I still didn't want to deal with the parking garage though, so i ended up parking on random streets behind the Rite Aid near campus. Our first stop was the Hutchinson Fields. They set up all the doggos there and it was really cool being able to play with all the doggos. We were early so there were only a scarce few people there. I thought that was gonna be it. I WAS SO WRONG. Anyway, we quickly headed over to the Physics building for a Harry Potter show hosted by the Physics Club! (and then stopped by the Star Ginger food truck for lunch before heading in). It was really fun and nice seeing all the work that these students put into this show. Then as we were making our way over to wait for the Doxy Derby race, we saw someone with free ice cream in hand. So we quickly made our way over to stand in line for that LOL. There were also A LOT of people waiting to get a free grape vine plant. That was pretty wild. I wonder how those people are going to grow it? I'd never know. This is where i started feeling like im at Disneyland (with all the lines) After that, we went back to the big hall near hutchinson for the race, but that time, it was SUPER PACKED. For the race, THE LINE WAS SO LONG, but i guess that's typical (was in line for about 30 minutes). Also, all the food trucks were also set up and there were SUPER LONG LINES for those as well. That reconfirmed my thoughts for Disneyland. The race was worth it though. It was so cute to see all the little doggos race. I didn't know those races could get so intense. After that, we went back to the animal science area to try to milk some goats and cows. The cows line closed 30 minutes before the end time so we didn't make it. Though we stood in line to milk some goats though. That was a cool experience! I like that there are so many things you could do. Overall, the UC Davis campus is so big that it was so tiring walking around. LOL But it was really fun and it's a great date/hang out event, but only a one-time thing (unless u r a college student there getting drunk). read more

Every April, UC Davis students organized the largest student ran event in the nation. And this event is called "Picnic Day." This is the day when students, parents, and alumni all come out to drink, walk around campus, drink, check out science exhibits, drink, watch wiener dog races, drink, buy food from various booths, drink, watch "Battle of the Bands," and of course, drink. If you are a student or alumni, the day usually goes like this: 9:30 A.M.: Wake up. Have a Jack Daniel's shot for breakfast. 9:35: Start cooking breakfast for all of your friends while you drink beer from one of the kegs. 10:47: Finish cooking breakfast and serve food for friends. 11:02: Wash it all down with a beer or two. 11:15: Drink hard liquor. Excessively, of course. 11:20: Start cooking BBQ lunch for friends. 12:30 P.M.: Finish BBQ. Drink more. 12:35: Eat. Drink. Eat more. 1:00: Take bus to campus. Sneak booze in bag. 1:15: Walk around campus. 1:30: Watch "Battle of the Bands." 2:00: Buy tacos, egg rolls, or some other ethnic food from a booth. 2:30: Watch dog show. 3:00: Watch weiner dog races. 3:30: Nap time. 5:30: Take bus home. 5:45: Pee. Poop. 6:00: Take bus downtown. Leave booze at home. 6:15: Drink more at a bar. 6:30: Eat Woodstock's pizza. Drink beer. 8:00: Karaoke, dance, or hit on random sorority girls. 2:00 A.M: Pass out. The all-time greatest Picnic Day anecdote is the one time where all of my friends became extremely intoxicated early in the morning, disbanded, and then regrouped at a bar. One guy asks: "Hey, did you any of you hook up with a girl?" One friend, nicknamed C in this review, says: "Yeah, Stacy (named changed to protect the innocent)." Another friend, nicknamed P for this reviews, says: "Yeah, I hooked up with a Stacy too." About a minute passes, then C and P look at each other, and then question who the Stacy was. It turned out to be the same girl separated by a few hours. Nice. College. Only $15,000 dollars a year at the time. Good times. read more

Hope will be this April 2021. As many activities, was canceled. Sad. This UC Davis Picnic Day always a Saturday in April. Fun event. Best of luck to all current students at University California of Davis! read more

Picnic Day turns 100! Yahoo! It's been "several" years since my last Picnic Day. This year was quite good. The temperature was great, not too warm/hot and not wet; and the crowd was large enough to be festive yet not overly crowded. Caught the parade in the morning and relaxed while listening to the Battle of the Bands. Didn't get into the ARC (I knew it as the Rec Hall) in time to see Doxie Derby (dachshund races); venue filled up. What happened to the cow with the hole in it? Picnic Day t-shirts ran out very quickly from the bookstore; should have picked one up the first time I saw it. I think it's a nice way to see the campus and visit various departments and building supporting the majors of interest. read more

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Picnic Day is in every Aggie's DNA. If you went to UC Davis then memories of day drinking, dog races, and debauchery are part of what makes you an Aggie. read more

The Good: -free plants (strawberries, tomatoes, figs, herbs, etc) -free shows/entertainment (magic show, community talents, arts & crafts etc) -One year, Celebrity Chef Martin Yan was the grand marshall -lots of interesting, well-worth seeing exhibits (Gorman Museum, Dairy Farm) -AWESOME-looking bikes and other weird transportation contraptions -Silo open for business (Carl's Jr and Taco Bell) -Air-conditioned Unitrans, $1 rides The Bad: -parking -stupid drunk people ruining everything! (and you wonder why there's cops, no shit) -Horses in the parade that pee and poo EVERYWHERE! -outrageously expensive, crappy and unsanitary food vendors (most of them by sororities and fraternities) -lack of actual, professional vendors -no celebrity bands or great music (UCR and UCSD always have great guests) -sad petting zoo animals -lack of clean restrooms -organizers that always say what a success Picnic Day was (it's not like they take a "Happy" survey from the attendees) -you can only take so much chaos -lack of security in certain secluded areas (i.e. Arboretum) -really no organization Even though I don't fully enjoy this event, I believe this event is a Davis tradition that shouldn't be cancelled. This event needs better organization by non-willynilly students because once the event starts, these organizers are nowhere to be seen and all uncontrollable chaos ensues. I mainly appreciate the individual departments that become the backbone of Picnic Day, showcasing what they're passionate about and what it means to be a part of the Davis community. And, as a foodie, I'm just extremely disappointed that the food sucks. As a warning, DO NOT get anything fried from the booths! You'll be looking for a restroom ALL day long. read more

What Picnic Day means for alumni: A day of reliving memories as you walk by old classrooms you frequented (Wellman and Olson, go Econ!) . What Picnic Day means for the residents of Davis: A day of crowded streets, but a chance to bring your family (PLUS dog) to the school that keeps your economy running. What Picnic Day means for students: an excuse to get drunk before noon, carry the buzz throughout the day, and to party at night if you already haven't passed out already. The theme for 2008 was Kalidascope of Voices. I actually saw the parade this time, and though the floats didn't really reflect the theme, it was still enjoyable. One odd club was some gymnist club vaulting off of horses: it just didn't look right... Another huge draw is the Battle of the Bands. Big favorites are the CAL band (UC Berkeley), Stanford, and of course the UC Davis Band-uh! Others in attendence this year were from Oregon state, UC Irvine and UC San Diego. They usually dress up in some odd costume: the Oregon State theme was like a freakshow / circus theme and UC San Diego had video game characters. My friend told me there was a Chun Li, but I didn't get to verify that. That would be hot... The point is that the bands line up and each play a song, the 'battle' ends when they have no more songs left to play. Bands can't repeat what other bands play, so it's pretty funny when you hear one band begin to play a song and the entire competing band groan. Surprisingly, this lasts all day, so you probably hear over 200 songs. Other big time events are the weiner dog races, chemistry magic show and the bug exhibit. There used to be the cow where you could stick your hand in its stomach, but some group felt that was wrong, so that came to an end. Poor cow. Another big draw is the food. They USED to have fried twinkies there, but they got rid of that sometime between 2003-2007. In the East Quad, a bunch of student organizations get the right to sell food to the huge crowds. It's usually pretty good and you can feel good supporting the student groups on campus. Of course, everytime I go I have to check out the Lounge Lizards, an acapella group on campus. Though all the old members are long gone, it's nice to know that the group is still running. They sang some pretty good songs, and they still do "For the Longest Time". Yay. I always have a good time at Picnic Day, the only sad times are when it rains that weekend (2007), but unofficially there were over 100,000 in attendence this year, mostly due to the beautiful weather. If you're in the Davis area or used to be an Aggie living in the Bay Area, you should def check it out, for old time's sake. read more

So much to see, to eat, to do, to drink in so..little time! check out the human cadavar exhibit..theres always a huge line..but its worth the wait! Must come see for yourself! "It's gonna be LEGEN-... wait for it... and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is DAIRY!"-Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother Enjoy! :) read more

O-M-G do you know how big UC Davis is? HUGE. I wasn't sure what to expect from this Picnic Day...It was on 4/20 so it definitely was a double whammy! There are a lot of activities on campus, clubs selling food, pet viewings, open museums, cow milking, dance competition, and even the wiener dog races! Enjoyed all of it except for the all the walking. Seriously, people put your walking shoes on. If there is one thing you want to do, make sure you go and watch the wiener dog races. They are adorable creatures and it was so cute watching them run to their owners or getting lost haha. If you are going to watch make sure you get to the venue early because there is a huge line just to get in. I like their no tolerance rule on campus. Once you head to downtown...that's a different story. -Give it a try! If you have a chance but don't get your hopes up! P.s.: This is a great opportunity for those interested in going to Davis or who were accepted. read more

Went to Picnic Day yesterday for the first time since I graduated! When I was in school I only went to picnic day once - but I think the other times I wasn't in town for the event. Anyway, it was a beautiful sunny day, and I had arranged for a some friends to go to picnic day. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the day. Picnic Day 2009 was the centennial celebration of it's 100th year since the arrival of students on the UCD campus. Picnic Day is like giant open house. Every single building is open for you to look at. There's a parade, music, performers, fashion shows, wiener dog races, cow milking demo, bug race, body show (Anatomy building showed cadavers), food booths, student organization booths, partying around the whole campus, and so much more. My friend's and I were sitting at the coho and reminiscing about the old days where we would just sit and lounge there. Nothing like meeting up with friends and seeing how everything has changed. We walked through the campus remembering all the classes we had, I walked by my old dorm, did some shopping at the UCD bookstore, walked through the quad, and drove around the city of Davis. Overall, I had a great time reminiscing my college life. There are so many alum's I ran into at picnic day. Good to see everyone comes back to support the school. Pollen is really bad there...so arm yourself with tons of allergy meds if you are allergic. Picnic day is a huge event, so there was ton's of traffic everywhere. I wouldn't come back here every single year because it's a little too much public drunkenness for me but maybe that's because I'm older now...but I will come back every so often just to reminisce and see how the campus has changed. The weather was perfect - it was hot, but not unbearable hot. It was nice to go back to Davis and see all the improvements and new buildings that the campus has made. Nice to see where all my tuition money went! read more

Maybe I'm missing something, but I've never had much Aggie Pride. I've also never seen picnic day as much more than an excuse to drink, a lot. The crowds are overwhelming, most of the activities I would want to do are rendered inaccessible my the sheer volume of bodies between me and them. For that one day, the town swells to twice it's usual size with a mix of prospective freshman, proud parents, and people from neighboring towns who want to party. At about ten in the evening the day before, it seems they all start to drink. By six in the morning, most of the big parties have already started. By nine, some parts of campus are already impassible. Expect the first arrest by ten, if not earlier. By noon, there is a bit of a change of pace, the early drunks have begun to tire themselves out, making room for some more of the 'family friendly' endeavors to push their way through. By mid afternoon, most people have had a nice nap and have started to drink again. At this point, there's a good chance whole city blocks have been encompassed in a single party. Once official events on campus start to die down, the unofficial ones pick up more steam. I spend Picnic day the same way every year, out of town, hiding from the crowds. read more

I'm not a Davis resident or UCDavis student, but I recently took a job up there, so I had the opportunity to go to Picnic Day this last year. Having never been to Picnic Day, I had no idea what to expect, and when I looked at the listing of events I was really excited. Presentations, lectures (I'm a nerd for the academic side of things), animals, games, sports... and of course... the famous Chemistry Magic Show. And yes, while there are a lot of fun activities to do during the day... be prepared to wait, and be prepared to get a little frustrated during the day. Really, anything that sounds cool is going to have a huge line -- this is especially in regards to anything "magic" or "milking" related. The event itself is not very well organized, and really should be spread out over two days. We spent a long time (about 1.5 hours) waiting in the line to get Chemistry Magic Show tickets, and then they told us they ran out. The system of handing out tickets was completely inefficient, and just wasted a lot of time for people and their friends and families. It probably wasn't worth anytime in line, because the show is most likely just some dry ice effects or something. Or maybe I'm just slightly bitter. Maybe. Also -- this is important -- BRING YOUR OWN SUNSCREEN. We forgot to, and we refused to purchase any on campus out of principle, since the cheapest (yes, I promise you this is the truth) bottle was $13 for the tiniest bottle I've ever seen. read more

Definitely a large outdoor event with as an excuse to drink, eat, and milk cows. The UCD campus, strewn with people, features various events and tents for alumni/undergrads and their families to enjoy. In fact, each department puts their best foot forward to have events and experiences that highlight life on campus. The Good: Cow/Goat milking Food Science Lab Wandering on campus Tomato/Grape plants Nice exposure to college life for some families The Bad: Parking Lack of Beverage vendors around campus Maps were almost useless The Ugly: Drunken College folk after 4 in downtown. everywhere. EVERY.WHERE! And the Jay-walking. I recommend not driving here at all. And if you do, enjoy a long leisurely walk to your car instead of driving through town. read more

I think I'm still hungover... from Picnic Day '05. and I wouldn't have it any other way. read more

F**k I missed Picnic Day this year! And it was actually Sunny! I was able to go to in '07 but because it was raining, the whole event was pretty much washed out. I was told that rain arrives every other year which means it will rain in next year's Picnic Day, which has some validity since 2006 Picnic Day had beautiful weather. Damn you Rain Gods, why do you meddle with my soul?! Great day for alum like myself to revisit the good 'ol Davis, I get all emotional when strolling through buildings and remembering all the times I walked through the many hallways to get to class. And the arboretum, I love the arboretum, so many good memories there. Rain or shine I will be present for Picnic Day 09. read more

Picnic Day can be a lot of fun while you are student. I enjoyed it back when I attended UC Davis. Traditionally, this is a day when families come to visit students, enjoy the campus sights and a have picnic on a warm spring day in Davis. Not that many picnics actually happen on campus anymore. Most everyone goes to one of the zillion eateries in town. You still see a lot of student families but you also see carloads of hipsters and teens that come into town from nearby communities. Not all of these folks attend UC Davis. I drove across town on Russell Blvd. last picnic day. I saw numerous hipsters carrying suitcases of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Funny, I usually see Budweiser all over town on Picnic Day. Either Pabst was de rigueur this year or it was on sale at a great price at a Davis supermarket. From the hotels to the restaurants, bars, grocery stores and specialty shops everyone doing business in Davis loves Picnic Day: until the windows get broken. Heavy drinking on Picnic Day is a long tradition. It's been around as long as I can remember. However, the party crowd seems to be rowdier than it was thirty and forty years ago. The campus population has grown and so has Davis. Picnic Day is isn't as nearly bad as Pioneer Days in Chico, but that isn't saying a lot. For the last couple of decades I have just avoided downtown Davis on Picnic Day or have left town entirely, headed for the Delta. read more

I hate to be judgmental but I'll say this: anyone who gives Picnic Day less than 5 stars either didn't go to Davis as an undergrad, or is a moron. That said, Picnic Day is still the sh*T, even now that I've graduated. For students, it's a time to get absolutely plastered with your best friends and-- as long as the weather is good (unlike 2007)-- enjoy the beauty that is Davis in spring. For alumni, it's a time to come back and get absolutely plastered with your best friends......or I guess in a few years it'll be more about coming back with the kiddies to show them the petting zoo and where Mommy spent four amazing years. Over the last few years, I've managed to see a lot of events but admittedly forgo most of what's on campus. I have seen Battle of the Bands (go band-uh!) and the Fashion Show, which are both great...except the Fashion Show is a little hard to sit still for after 2 bottles of Fadorade. The food sold on campus is good and supports student groups, so I would suggest eating there. The stages throughout campus feature student and local acts, so I always like to check those out. Off campus....well as a senior I lived at "the A Street apartments" so I know that THAT is where the craziness happens. I still can't believe that was once my address. If you don't know the complex, you can verrrry easily hear it but advertising the address is probably not smart. All I gotta say is if you can find it, stop by. Lastly, my favorite block on Picnic Day has to be the area around 3rd & University. All the little houses there have parties, and it's always my last stop before going downtown for a late lunch and finding a place to pass out. read more

UC Davis' version of open house. It's the time when new potential students and alumni come back to school and see whats going on. For animal lovers, about 1/3 of the events are related to animals and dogs (feel free to bring your pet). If you live in the Sac area, it's something not to miss. read more