UC Davis Picnic Day

What UC Davis Picnic Day does

UC Davis Picnic Day is the annual open house and signature student-run event of the University of California, Davis, operated under ASUCD (Associated Students of UC Davis). First held in 1909 and canceled only five times in its history, it now attracts 70,000-75,000 attendees each year (with pre-COVID peaks up to 150,000) and delivers more than 200 events across campus, including animal events (the Doxie Derby, introduced 1972), a Children's Discovery Fair, entertainment stages, academic exhibits, a parade that has run into downtown Davis since 1959, a Student Organization Fair, and food, water, and emergency-messaging services. Programming is governed by a Board of Directors of 16 student directors and their assistant-director teams, with the Picnic Day 112 leadership comprising Chair Trinh NguyenDiem Vo and Vice Chair Saanika Gupta for the April 18, 2026 event.

The organization is not a technology company. Its "products" are physical event tracks and supporting attendee infrastructure. Digital tooling in 2025 added an interactive website map, a beta Picnic Day Scheduler for personalized itineraries, the Picnic Day Pitstop at Russell Field, and limited-edition merchandise. Integrations are limited to consumer calendar exports (Google, Yahoo, iCal, Outlook), Google Forms for pledges and feedback, an SMS-based WarnMe emergency alert system, and the ZipPass app for free Unitrans bus access on event day. No proprietary technology platform, API, or SDK is offered.

Picnic Day generates revenue through three streams: sponsorships from approximately 112 local and regional businesses and organizations (including Pepsi and University Credit Union) that receive on-campus advertising and publicity; donations via the Friends of Picnic Day Endowment and the Picnic Day Fund from alumni and community members; and merchandise sales such as T-shirts, which raised $3,000 for the UCD Health COVID-19 Relief Fund in 2020. General admission is free, and only a small number of sub-events (Doxie Derby, Chemistry Show, Fashion Show, Davis Dance Revolution) are ticketed. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the entity operates as a non-commercial program within ASUCD rather than an investable enterprise.

Name

UC Davis Picnic Day

Legal name

Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD) - Picnic Day Program

Website

https://picnicday.ucdavis.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UC Davis Picnic Day is a student-run annual open house organized under ASUCD, hosting 200+ events across the UC Davis campus since 1909 and drawing 70,000-75,000 attendees through free general admission, supported by 112 sponsors and alumni donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Open House Event

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College Club Sports Programs (MPAKACAK)

Keywords

• Annual open house event
• Campus community event
• Student-run festival
• University tradition event
• Public outreach event

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Local businesses and organizations sponsor the event in return for advertising and publicity opportunities, reaching 70,000+ annual attendees. The sponsorship package offers various benefits including on-campus advertising and publicity.
2. Donations: Alumni and community members donate to Picnic Day through the Friends of Picnic Day Endowment and the Picnic Day Fund. Donations help provide meals, supplies, professional development opportunities, and team-building retreats for student organizers.
3. Merchandise Sales: Picnic Day merchandise including t-shirts and limited-edition items are sold as fundraisers. In 2020, T-shirt sales raised $3,000 for UCD Health COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UC Davis Picnic Day is an annual student-run university open house event held on the UC Davis campus, offering free general admission plus a small set of ticketed premium events (Doxie Derby, Chemistry Show, Fashion Show, Davis Dance Revolution). The event delivers 200+ programming experiences across animal events, children's activities, exhibits, entertainment stages, a community parade, the Student Organization Fair, special events, food vendors, and free water refill stations for prospective students, current students, families, alumni, faculty, staff, and the broader Davis community.

Product overview

UC Davis Picnic Day is a single annual open house event (not a software product) organized by ASUCD. It is not a platform-plus-modules architecture but rather a coordinated set of event offerings. The core Picnic Day event encompasses multiple parallel programming tracks: Animal Events (including the famous Doxie Derby), Children's Discovery Fair, Entertainment Stages, Exhibits, Parade, Special Events, and the Student Organization Fair. Supporting services include food vendor areas, water refill stations, and the WarnMe emergency messaging opt-in. In 2025, Picnic Day introduced new digital features including an interactive website map, the Picnic Day Scheduler beta tool, Picnic Day Pitstop carnival games at Russell Field, and limited-edition merchandise. A #SafeCelebrations pledge initiative promotes responsible celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Picnic Day Annual Open House Event
• Doxie Derby (Wiener Dog Race)
• The Chemistry Show
• The Fashion Show
• Davis Dance Revolution
• Picnic Day Merchandise
• Virtual Picnic Day Online Event
• Picnic Day @ Home Package

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000+ attendees annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• University Credit UnionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial institution sponsor providing banking services and promotional support for the event. Logo displayed among 112 sponsors on the Picnic Day website.
• Tanglewood LivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHousing/apartment sponsor promoting housing options in Davis to attendees.
• Sol at West VillageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent housing sponsor in West Village promoting living options near campus.
• SpinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElectric scooter company providing mobility options during the event.
• PepsimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage sponsor providing beverages and promotional support for the event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Outside Lands: San Francisco's annual large-scale music, food, and arts festival in Golden Gate Park drawing 100,000+ daily attendees. Comparable to Picnic Day in regional Northern California community-event positioning and scale, though it operates as a major commercial music festival rather than a free student-run open house.
• California State Fair: California's annual state fair held in Sacramento, a major community event attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees. Comparable to Picnic Day in event scale, family-friendly programming, and regional California appeal, though it operates commercially with paid admission and broader demographic reach.

Direct peers

• UC Santa Barbara Spring Festival: UCSB's annual spring programming hosted on campus, another UC-system event showcasing student life to the broader community. Comparable to Picnic Day as a university-hosted annual community event with student-driven programming and free public access.
• UC Berkeley Cal Day: UC Berkeley's annual open house event, a peer UC campus tradition showcasing research, academics, and campus life to prospective students and the community. Directly comparable to UC Davis Picnic Day as a same-system UC campus open house with similar attendee demographics, free-admission model, and community engagement focus.
• Cal Poly Open House: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's annual campus open house showcasing academics, research, and student life. Comparable to Picnic Day as a large-scale university open house targeting prospective students, families, alumni, and the surrounding community with free admission.
• UCLA Spring Sing: UCLA's annual student-run music festival and one of the largest student-run events on the West Coast. Comparable to Picnic Day in scale, student-led organization model, sponsorship-driven revenue, and university-system community engagement.
• UCSD Sun God Festival: UC San Diego's annual Sun God Festival, a large-scale student-run music and entertainment event hosted at another UC campus. Comparable to Picnic Day in scale, student-led governance, and university-wide community engagement focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-davis-picnic-day

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UC Davis Picnic Day