Great Madras Bake Sale is back with 34 home bakers, music and pet-friendly bites

Join the Great Madras Bake Sale on February 1 for delicious treats, live music, and a pet-friendly atmosphere!

January is the month of vows. Sugar is sworn off with solemn resolve, desserts are demonised, and inboxes fill with promises of clean eating and a healthy lifestyle. For a few weeks, restraint feels virtuous. But willpower, like frosting left out too long, has a short shelf life.

The Great Madras Bake Sale makes a compelling case for selective surrender. For one Sunday afternoon, the city is invited to pause its resolutions, and remember that pleasure, when chosen deliberately, is not failure. It is participation. Quitting sugar may be a goal, but un-quitting it, briefly, can be an act of community. 

Now in its fourth edition, the Great Madras Bake Sale has established itself as a fixture on Chennai’s community food calendar. Hosted by entrepreneurs Maaria Tanveer, Cindana Manickavel and Priya Anup, the one-day event returns on February 1, bringing together home bakers, small businesses, musicians and pet lovers under one roof. 

“This year is similar in spirit to last year, but bigger. Last year, most of the home bakers sold out very quickly. People who came later didn’t have many options left. So we decided to expand,” says Maaria. 

The 2026 edition features 34 home bakers, up from about 30 last year, alongside a handful of commercial vendors. The expansion, however, comes with the same careful curation. “We go through menus and make sure each stall has something unique to offer, not just the usual brownies and chocolate cupcakes,” says Maaria speaking about the process of putting the bake sale together. 

That intent shows in the menus. Visitors can expect milagai podi donuts from Kookies, Kakes and Bakes, Bournvita jars by Food Indulge, and samosa pinwheel puffs from Cranked Palette. Look out for elaneer payasam choux by The Kraaft Girl and pandan Japanese cheesecake from Fave Dainty.