• Doubling Police Presence: The Davis Police Department will double its staffing, calling on multiple mutual aid partners. The City will also deploy additional traffic control measures with barricades to address large crowds and position field resources to support faster response times.


• Citywide Enforcement Approach: Enforcement of laws will be a key focus on Picnic Day this year. Davis PD will be prepared to take early and consistent enforcement action to promote safety and reinforce behavior expectations. While Picnic Day is a longstanding campus tradition, it does not alter the laws and regulations that apply every day of the year.


• Communication and Enforcement with Bars: Davis PD have been and will enforce alcohol service regulations at bars and restaurants and have a pre-event meeting with all bars downtown with the State’s ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) Department.  


• Regional Support: The City has secured assistance from the Sacramento Regional Incident Management Team, whose extensive experience with large-scale emergencies and events will help strengthen coordination, planning and on-the-ground operational management during Picnic Day.


• Aerial + Real-Time Monitoring: Davis PD will deploy UAS (drones) throughout the operational period for situational awareness.


• Emergency Operations Center Activation: For the first time for this event, the City of Davis will activate an Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, at Level 2 with safety officers, logistics, operations chiefs and reporting chains. This also includes an expanded citywide Event Action Plan. An EOC is a coordinated command hub during major events, and a Level 2 activation brings together key staff to manage operations, monitor conditions in real time and support an elevated public safety response.


• Expanded Fire Coverage: Fire will have additional companies staffed and available to help answer the increased call volume that day.


• Parade Strategy: UC Davis PD will assist Davis PD staffing posts on the parade route within city limits to allow Davis police officers more availability to respond to calls for service and to engage in proactive, safety-focused enforcement. The parade route will also be shortened by one block to support staffing and operational efficiency. (This is repeated under the tab "Deep, Early and Continuous Coordination with UC Davis.")

• To reduce congestion, speed response times, avoid overlapping crowds and minimize risk, the City of Davis will implement a full prohibition on special events this day. No special event permits will be given by the City of Davis or any City department for this day to reduce congestion, improve emergency response times and minimize risk associated with overlapping crowds. This applies to all City departments, including permits that may otherwise be processed separately through departments such as Fire or Police. Limiting permitted activities on this day allows public safety personnel to remain focused on core services and ensures the City can respond promptly and effectively to calls for service.

• The City is notifying organizations, agencies and user groups that may host events on private property or public locations with use agreements about conditions on Picnic Day. These groups are being advised that response resources may be limited at times. Event hosts and sites should plan accordingly in terms of preparation and oversight

For Picnic Day 2026, the City of Davis is expanding and advancing its public communication strategy to support awareness, preparedness and shared expectations across the community.

• Social media: Social media messaging will begin in February, much earlier than in previous years, around safety, smart celebration and enforcement in the city, and increase in frequency as Picnic Day approaches to broaden community awareness and reinforce safety expectations.


• Direct household communication: Utility bill inserts in March and April will provide every household in the city with key information related to safety, event impacts and community expectations. Reminders about the City's public safety preparations will also be added to the utility bill's messages in March and April.


• Citywide visibility: Highly visible lawn signs will be placed in key medians, rights-of-way, parks and other popular locations sometime in March to promote safety messaging and reinforce behavioral expectations throughout the community. These will be placed on campus and in the broader community. 


• Enhanced web presence: A strengthened Picnic Day webpage will include: Safety Enhancement Zones, Most Common Misdemeanors and their Penalties, Shared Commitments for Safe Celebration, Police Contact and more.


• Public updates: Press releases in February and March will outline public safety measures, changes for 2026 and guidance for responsible celebration.


• Partner engagement: Email outreach will extend to partner organizations, agencies, neighborhood associations, commissions and other community partners at the end of January to help distribute consistent messaging and help get the word out about changes to this year’s strategy.

• Campus Participation: UC Davis will encourage Greek houses and student organizations to sign the pledge, creating consistent expectations across student-led groups and strengthening shared responsibility on campus.


• Community and Business Participation: The City will invite businesses, bars, organizations, agencies and anyone interested to sign the pledge as well, expanding participation across the broader community and aligning safety commitments citywide.


• Uniformity: For the first time, a single Picnic Day Pledge will apply for interested students, community partners, members, businesses and organizations, reinforcing consistent standards and promoting a unified approach to expectations and accountability.


• Public Visibility: The City and UC Davis will publicly share the number of pledge participants to highlight how many are contributing to a safer, more welcoming environment. This visibility provides positive reinforcement and demonstrates widespread community engagement. This is currently in the works.

The Picnic Day Pledge mirrors the Shared Commitments for Safe Celebration (see tab) and helps reinforce shared expectations.

• Reoccurring meetings: The City of Davis began meeting with UC Davis leadership, including staff from Picnic Day, the Chancellor’s Office, Student Affairs and Student Conduct and Integrity, a full year in advance of Picnic Day 2026 with increasing frequency and communication at the start of the calendar year, discussing public safety, protocol changes and better education. The City and Davis PD continue to meet with campus organizations along with college students to discuss enforcement, safe choices and smart celebration on Picnic Day.


• City presence: Each year, UC Davis activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for Picnic Day, serving as the central hub for managing communications and coordinating response efforts on campus. This year, City staff will be present in the UC Davis EOC throughout the day. At the same time, a UC Davis representative will be stationed in the City of Davis EOC to ensure real-time coordination, streamline information sharing and support a unified response as needed.


• Student organizations: Staff from the university and Davis PD will meet with sorority and fraternity leaders about expectations for responsible behavior, fines and enforcement in the City on Picnic Day. The campus is also sending information to leaders of all registered student organization.  


• Shared messaging: The City and UC Davis have developed shared language and coordination with the Picnic Day student committee to promote unified, consistent communication before and during the event. This shared messaging will be reflected in upcoming outreach, including lawn signs, the Picnic Day pledge, Shared Commitments for Safe Celebration and more.


• Parade strategy: UC Davis PD will assist Davis PD staffing posts on the parade route within city limits to allow Davis police officers more availability to respond to calls for service and to engage in proactive, safety-focused enforcement. The parade route will also be shortened by one block to support staffing and operational efficiency.