Inaugurated in 2012, the curated[3] festival showcases graphic novels, comic books, minicomics, and zines created by independent artists and publishers.
Instead, the show centers around an artist alley-style exhibition space that features roughly 200 vendors,[4] as well as industry-related panel discussions.
[5] The show was designed to honor Chicago's legacy as a home for small-press and self-publishing cartoonists.
[5] CAKE was inaugurated as a two-day event on June 16–17, 2012, at 1104 S. Wabash (The Ludington Building), part of the campus of Columbia College Chicago.
[2] The CupCake Award is a juried prize that is presented annually at CAKE to a local minicomic creator.