Spring is finally here! After months of chilly mornings and drizzly afternoons, the sun is shining and the skies are clear. Spring quarter is full of life and fun events, bringing with it the excitement of one of the most anticipated traditions of the year—Picnic Day!
Picnic Day is officially DAYS away! The campus will be full of life with bustling crowds, live music and dance, and the scent of food and happiness gliding through the air this weekend. From morning to evening, students, faculty, alumni, and families will flood the UC Davis campus, ready to experience a day filled with laughter, discovery, and memories.
Picnic Day isn’t just any event—it’s a century-old tradition; a day where the university transforms into a festival-like wonderland (fitting right into this year’s theme, “Welcome to Wonderland”) and there’s something for everyone. The Doxie Derby, which is everyone’s favorite race featuring adorable dachshunds dashing across the finish line, never fails to steal hearts. Another crowd-favorite event is the parade, which features student-run clubs, bands, and so many other UC Davis community groups marching down the streets.
Food trucks and local vendors line the sidewalks, offering everything from a delicious meal to refreshing drinks, while student clubs showcase their passions through engaging booths and activities. Whether it’s petting baby goats at the animal science exhibit, watching an improv show, or simply having a picnic, (because what even is Picnic Day if you don’t have a picnic on the quad with your friends) there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy the day.
My favorite memories from my first ever Picnic Day were seeing people having the time of their lives and making memories that I knew would last forever! My friends and I also made a handful of memories together—we stopped by the Environmental Sciences building right as they opened so we could attend the activities, like seeing bioluminescence art made by grad students and making fish prints. For the fish print, we painted a real fish, placed a sheet of paper over it, and lifted it to reveal an intricate print showcasing the scales and details—I thought it was the coolest thing ever! We hung the painting in our dorm room for the rest of the year, and as we were moving out, taking it down brought back so many wonderful memories.
Our Picnic Day wrapped up with us going to more wacky events (we got to create our own earthquake!) Of course, we saw the most iconic event—the Doxie Derby! It was such a fun experience, and I’ll forever treasure those memories. Our connection to Picnic Day inspired my friends and I to work with the picnic day board this year. I’m looking forward to enjoying picnic day from a different light and experience the months of hard work put into running the biggest student-run event in Davis.
More than just a day of fun, Picnic Day is a celebration of everything that makes UC Davis special. It’s a chance to reconnect with old friends, make new memories, and appreciate the diverse and dynamic community we are a part of. So, as you soak in the sunshine and embrace the festivities, take a moment to appreciate the magic of Picnic Day. Whether it’s your first time or your fourth, this day is for you—to explore, to celebrate, and to create stories that will last long after the sunsets on another beautiful spring day in Davis.