Songkran, Thailand's water festival and traditional New Year, falls on 13–15 April, though Sydney's Thai community often celebrates on the nearest weekend to fit around work and school. Behind the water fights and temple visits, Songkran is fundamentally a family gathering — and family gatherings in Sydney almost always end with a shared cake. Num Num's Bakery makes 100% eggless celebration cakes for exactly this kind of multicultural occasion, from both our Harris Park and Riverstone locations.
According to the 2021 ABS Census QuickStats, 26,330 people in Greater Sydney were born in Thailand, out of 83,779 Thailand-born residents across Australia. That makes Sydney the largest concentration of Thai-Australians in the country — a community large enough that Songkran celebrations happen in backyards, community halls, and temples right across the city every April.
- 26,330 Sydney residents were born in Thailand (ABS Census, 2021).
- All 15 cake flavours are 100% eggless as standard, not a substitution.
- Order from Harris Park or Riverstone — 2 locations across Greater Sydney.
- Songkran weekend is a peak period — book 4–5 days ahead via WhatsApp +61 425 697 725.
What Is Songkran and Why Does It Matter to Sydney's Thai Community?
Songkran marks the traditional Thai solar New Year, historically observed from 13 to 15 April. It's best known internationally for its street water fights, but the water itself carries a specific meaning — it's a symbolic cleansing, washing away misfortune from the previous year before starting fresh. Families visit temples, pour water over Buddha statues and elders' hands as a sign of respect, and gather for a shared meal.
In Sydney, community-organised Songkran events cluster around Thai Town in Haymarket and local temples across the western suburbs. For families celebrating at home rather than at a public event, the day still follows the same pattern: temple visit in the morning, then a family gathering with food — and increasingly, a proper celebration cake — in the afternoon or evening.
Unlike Thailand's own Songkran, where the festival is a multi-day public holiday, Sydney's celebrations mostly happen around work and school commitments. That's part of why the date often shifts to the nearest Saturday or Sunday rather than sticking rigidly to 13–15 April. It also means cake orders tend to cluster on a single weekend rather than spreading across the whole week, which is worth knowing if you're planning ahead.
In the 2021 Census, 26,330 Greater Sydney residents reported being born in Thailand, out of 83,779 nationally (ABS Census QuickStats, 2021). That concentration makes Sydney home to roughly 31% of Australia's entire Thailand-born population — a community large enough to support genuine Songkran celebrations across multiple suburbs each April.
Why Choose an Eggless Cake for a Songkran Celebration?
Many Thai households cook and bake with an eye toward Buddhist dietary sensitivities, and a meaningful share of Sydney's Thai-Buddhist community avoids eggs on certain observance days or as a general dietary preference. From our internal order data, customers ordering for Buddhist temple events and community gatherings frequently ask specifically for egg-free options — and with Num Num's, that's not a special request, it's every cake on the menu.
We've supplied cakes for a handful of community Songkran gatherings over the past few years, and the same pattern comes up each time. Hosts want something that works for a genuinely mixed guest list — Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and non-Thai friends and neighbours all at the same table. Nobody wants to explain why one cake looks different from another.
Curious how eggless cakes are made? Hebbars Kitchen (7.8M subscribers) breaks down the technique — the same philosophy behind every cake at Num Num's Bakery.
What Cake Flavours Work Best for a Songkran Gathering?
Songkran falls in Sydney's autumn, but Thailand's own Songkran sits at the peak of the hot season back home — which is exactly why tropical, fruit-forward flavours feel right for the occasion regardless of the local weather. From our order history, Mango, Pineapple, and Lychee are the most-requested flavours for Thai community events, echoing the fresh fruit that features heavily in Thai desserts.
One pattern that surprised us: Thai community customers order Rasmalai almost as often as Mango for larger multicultural gatherings. It's not a traditionally Thai flavour, but its fragrant, not-too-sweet profile translates well across South and Southeast Asian palates at the same table — a genuinely useful crossover flavour for mixed-community events.
Popular Flavours for Songkran Celebrations.
- Mango — fresh and tropical, our most-requested flavour for Thai community events.
- Pineapple — bright and fruity, a natural fit for a warm-season festival theme.
- Lychee — delicate and fragrant, popular across South and Southeast Asian households alike.
- Rasmalai — a fragrant crossover flavour that performs well at mixed multicultural gatherings.
- Chocolate & Vanilla — reliable crowd-pleasers for kids and older relatives at the same event.
See the full Our Cakes page for all 15 flavours with photos and sizing — every one of them is eggless as standard.
How Does Songkran Fit Into Sydney's Wider Multicultural Calendar?
Sydney hosts New Year celebrations from more than a dozen different cultural calendars each year, and Songkran is one of several that fall outside the standard January 1 date. From our order data, the same customers who book us for Lunar New Year in late January or February often return in April for Songkran, and again around Vaisakhi in mid-April, since the two festivals sit only days apart on the calendar most years.
That overlap matters practically. Songkran and Vaisakhi both cluster in the same mid-April week, which makes it one of our busiest fortnights of the year alongside Diwali in the spring. If your Songkran event falls in that window, booking a few days earlier than usual gives us the best chance of confirming your exact flavour and design.
Comparing our order data across April's cluster of festivals, we've noticed Songkran orders skew slightly smaller in guest count than Vaisakhi or Diwali orders. It's more family gathering than large community event. That's why a single-tier 8-inch cake covers the vast majority of Songkran requests we receive, compared to the two-tier designs more common for the bigger festivals.
Sydney's Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations, also in mid-April, share a similar rhythm to Songkran — both are solar New Year festivals rooted in South and Southeast Asian tradition, both centre on family and temple visits, and both increasingly end with a shared cake rather than only traditional sweets. If you're planning a broader multicultural celebration that blends several of these traditions, our team can talk through flavour and design choices that work across all of them.
Where Can I Order a Songkran Cake in Sydney?
Num Num's Bakery operates from two Sydney locations, both making the same 100% eggless menu. Harris Park is open daily 11 am–10 pm and sits close to Parramatta CBD; Riverstone is open Mon–Fri 6 am–8 pm and Sat–Sun 7 am–7 pm, serving the north-west corridor. Whichever is closer to your Songkran gathering, the ordering process is identical.
- Browse the flavours: Check the Our Cakes page for the full menu with photos. Mango and Pineapple are popular for Songkran, but any flavour works.
- Message us on WhatsApp: Send your order to +61 425 697 725 with your chosen flavour, cake size, design brief, and which location you'll collect from.
- Give at least 48 hours notice: Every cake is made fresh to order. For Songkran weekend specifically, allow 4–5 days, since it's a peak booking period for our Thai and broader Southeast Asian customers.
- Confirm and collect: We'll confirm your order by WhatsApp before you drive out to either location.
From our order history, Songkran-related orders across both locations cluster heavily in the week leading up to the mid-April weekend, with a smaller secondary spike for community hall events booked further in advance. Ordering by the Monday of Songkran week gives us the best chance of confirming your exact flavour and design choice.
Message us on WhatsApp with your flavour, size, and pick-up location. 48 hours is all we need for most orders — 4–5 days is safer for Songkran weekend.
Are Eggless Cakes Suitable for Buddhist and Thai Dietary Practices?
According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), eggs are one of the eight priority food allergens in Australia, with strict labelling rules attached. Beyond allergy, some Thai and Buddhist households avoid eggs on specific observance days, or year-round as part of a broader vegetarian or plant-leaning diet influenced by Buddhist teaching on non-harm.
We want to be upfront about what "100% eggless" does and doesn't mean here. It's not the same thing as vegan, vegetarian, or a formal religious certification:
- We are 100% egg-free — no eggs in any product, preparation area, or piece of equipment on-site.
- We are not a certified vegan kitchen — our cakes contain dairy (milk powder, butter), so they aren't suitable for a fully plant-based diet.
- We are not a certified vegetarian or Buddhist-observance kitchen — while every cake is egg-free, we don't hold a formal religious dietary certification, and standard cakes contain wheat and may involve nuts.
- We are not a certified halal or kosher facility — if that certification matters for your event, ask us directly before ordering.
If you have specific dietary questions for a temple event or community gathering, message us on WhatsApp before ordering and we'll walk through the full ingredient list for your chosen flavour. We're happy to talk through substitutions or design adjustments where we reasonably can, even if we can't guarantee a formal certification we don't hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I order a custom cake for Songkran in Sydney?
Yes. Num Num's Bakery makes custom 100% eggless celebration cakes for Songkran gatherings from both Harris Park and Riverstone. Order via WhatsApp at +61 425 697 725 with at least 48 hours notice, and 4–5 days during the busy mid-April period.
Are Num Num's cakes suitable for Buddhist and Thai celebrations?
Yes — every cake, every flavour, is 100% eggless, which suits many Thai and Buddhist households that avoid eggs for religious or dietary reasons. We are not a certified vegan or vegetarian kitchen, and our cakes contain dairy, so check with us directly if that distinction matters for your event.
When is Songkran celebrated in Australia?
Songkran traditionally falls on 13–15 April each year, though community celebrations in Sydney are often held on the nearest weekend for convenience. Check your local Thai temple or community group for the confirmed date, since public events sometimes shift by a week.
How much notice do I need for a Songkran celebration cake?
A minimum of 48 hours for standard orders. Songkran weekend is a peak ordering period for Sydney's Thai community, and it often overlaps with Vaisakhi in mid-April, so we recommend 4–5 days notice to guarantee your preferred flavour, size, and design ahead of the event.
What cake flavours work well for a Songkran celebration?
Mango, Pineapple, and Lychee are popular fresh, tropical flavours that suit Songkran's timing and Thai flavour preferences. All 15 eggless flavours are available, including Chocolate, Vanilla, and Rasmalai, which work particularly well for mixed-guest, multicultural gatherings with a wide age range.
15 flavours, 100% eggless, made fresh to your order. Pick up from Harris Park or Riverstone. WhatsApp us at least 48 hours before your event — 4–5 days for Songkran weekend.