The Arts and Culture Desk’s Guide to Picnic Day 2026
Celebrate music, art, fashion and more at these select events
By TALAR KESHISHIAN AND NATALIE SALTER — arts@theaggie.org
As Picnic Day fast approaches, it can feel overwhelming to stare at the vast list of event and entertainment offerings that span from dawn until dusk. With so much fun to be had, preparing a schedule ahead of time is a wise decision. To narrow your search, however, try these specific, arts-related, Picnic Day-exclusive events that are not to be missed.
FADS “Laced In Reverie” Fashion Show: April 18 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Davis may not have a devoted fashion week, but thanks to the UC Davis Fashion and Design Society (FADS), community members can get a taste of the runway close to home. The FADS fashion show has been a staple of Picnic Day for over 30 years, offering attendees a chance to indulge their interest in the colorful, captivating world of runway design.
The theme for this year, “Laced in Reverie,” will showcase garments designed by undergraduate students in DES 179 “Fashion Design: Signature Collection,” a capstone design course. Additionally, the show will include a collection from Design Professor Adele Zhang and the FADS design cohort.
“‘Reverie’ relates to memory,” FADS Cohort Officer and Designer Kathryn Choy, a fourth-year design major, said. “All of these collections relate to us in one way or another, whether it’s back to our childhood, personal identity or themes that we hold close to us. By having this fashion show we all tie it together and share this feeling of reverie or memory.”
The fashion show will feature a variety of designs showcasing students' areas of interest, as well as their work over the course of the year.
“There’s also going to be a sort of new aspect to the show this year; part of the show is also going to be designs from the musical ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ on campus,” FADS Cohort Student Designer Julia Snell, a fourth-year environmental science and management major, said. “A few of those designs are going to go down the runway too. The choreographer from the show is having them do part of the choreography down the runway.”
The fashion show will take place in the Cruess Hall Courtyard at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are available to purchase on the Department of Design’s website.
Battle of the Bands: April 18 at 2 p.m.
One of Picnic Day’s most time-honored traditions is the Battle of the Bands, which brings UC Davis in competition with other universities in California in a contest of musical talents. The tradition began in the early ‘70s, and has become a particularly jazzy way for students of different schools to connect and compete.
The rules of the competition are as follows: After making their grand entrance onto the playing field, the bands will fight to see who can play the longest without repeating or using another team’s song. What ensues from this set of guidelines is a fantastic symphony in which California’s finest college musicians get to showcase their musical talents to the public.
This epic musical battle will begin at 2 p.m. on the Mrak Hall lawn, and will continue on until 10 p.m. Devoted fans often stay the whole time, but the event’s 8-hour runtime means that it is just as easy to drop in and catch a few songs if your schedule is otherwise packed-full. Viewers can choose to cheer on Davis’s own marching band or show their support for one of the many other California college teams participating — you may catch classic competitors like UC San Diego, Stanford University or Cal Poly Pomona.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” Performance: April 17 at 7 p.m. and April 18 at 1:05 p.m.
Lovers of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” can enjoy the Erotic Nightmares Club’s shadowcast performance of this cult-classic. Vivian Albelda, a fourth-year biological sciences major and the vice president of the club, said their Picnic Day performance will be a special supercut of the iconic movie.
“Because it is Picnic Day, it will be a family-friendly event,” Albelda said. “It's going to be a supercut mashup of all the family-friendly songs in the show. All ages can come and it’s going to be a really good time.”
The performance will take place at 1:05 p.m. at the Science Laboratory Stage. The club will also present their monthly, full-length shadowcast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in Peter Rock Hall. The theme of the show will be “Picnic Day,” so the audience is encouraged to dress up and celebrate their favorite things about Davis. For more information, visit their Instagram page @rockyhorrorclubatucd.
Insect Origami and Maggot Art: April 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can “ant-icipate” an “un-bee-lievably” buzzing time at Briggs Hall Courtyard for Insect Origami and Maggot Art. Attendees can stop by from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to create exquisite art pieces with crawling, paint-dipped maggots. During the same time frame, you can also transform a simple piece of paper into your favorite insect at Insect Origami.
Parade: April 18 at 10:15 a.m.
Start your day of festivities with the vibrant Picnic Day Parade. Since its addition to the event in 1912, the parade has bridged the campus and community to celebrate the joyous spirit of Davis.
This year’s Picnic Day theme is “The Journey Home: Destination Davis.” The parade will feature various campus clubs and organizations, while also integrating communities of interest in Davis. Created by students and staff, floats serve as a creative expression of each group’s year-round mission.
The opening ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the grandstands across from Wickson Hall, with the parade commencing at 10:15 a.m. and following the route from campus through the streets of Downtown Davis. Further information can be found in the parade tab of the Picnic Day website, including announcement locations and the official parade lineup.
All Picnic Day information is available via their website, which includes a brand new scheduler to organize your own personal itinerary for the day. We at the Arts and Culture Desk hope you enjoy Davis’s 112th annual Picnic Day!
Written by: Talar Keshishian and Natalie Salter — arts@theaggie.org