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Info Exhibitors Special Guests Program Schedule
Art Auction Cupcake Award Cupcake Release Party CAKE Anthology CAKEPOPS Video Series
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Contact CAKE Community Policies Organizers and Coordinators CAKE Archive
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Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE)

CAKE 2027 is coming together. Plan for May 15+16 at the Irish American Heritage Center. Exhibitor Application process starts soon!

Learn more about CAKE 2026

CAKE is a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists– past, present and future. Featuring comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more, CAKE is dedicated to fostering community and dialogue amongst independent artists, small presses, publishers and readers.

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Exhibitor Applications will be opening Oct 29
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CAKE 2027 Save the Date
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2026 Cupcake Award Winners
2026 Cupcake Award Winners
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CAKEstagram

We’re very excited to announce this year’s Cupcake Award Winners: Nasa Espinoza and Jesus Blanco! It was another stellar applicant pool this year, so the jury wants to shout out some additional honorable mentions. Swipe and tap for tags!
One week ago today we held our first ever Cupcake Award Minicomic Release Party 🧁🎉 Thank you to everyone who made the night special! If you missed it, we’ll be announcing the 2026 award winners tomorrow. Stay tuned! Our deepest gratitude to
CAKE programming was 🔥! Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and expertise to create amazing experiences for our community ❤️ . . Follow these fine folks! (In order of appearance) @nickmerlockjackson @mild_pain @this_might_hurt @jamil
THANK YOU to everyone who made CAKE amazing this year! We continue to be blown away by the community turning out to celebrate alternative comics. We can’t express our gratitude enough to everyone who exhibited, participated in programming, and
Let’s give it up to the wonderful exhibitors at CAKE! We’ll be out here slinging comics until 5PM!

 Table fees cover only a portion of our operating expenses. As a completely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your tax-deductible support is vital to our financial stability and continued growth.

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