Oakland Art + Soul Festival 2022

Image of a dancer from Oakland Art + Soul Festival20th Anniversary Celebration!
This favorite local event is named Best Music Festival by the East Bay Express. The Oakland Art + Soul Festival includes free admission; live music on two stages; an artisan marketplace; delicious food, wine, and local beer; and roller skating.

The festival takes place on Saturday, July 23 from 12 noon to 6 PM in downtown Oakland.

Press
One of the Top 7 Bay Area Music Festivals to Get Your Groove On

—Culture Trip

Highlighted as a Must-See in Oakland’s Ranking as 15th Coolest City in America to Visit
—NY Times

Music
Blues, Baroque, and Bars: From the Streets to the Symphony
Oakland’s Art + Soul Festival returns to Frank Ogawa Plaza with a free celebration and live concert featuring the world premiere of “Blues, Baroque, and Bars: From the Streets to the Symphony,” a new musical suite from legendary vocalist The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol. This powerful new work traces the story of Black people in America through the blues—the story of a people and an art form holding the history of Black America from the slave ships, to the cotton fields, to segregation, to the present day. Featuring world-renowned drummer Dennis Chambers of Parliament/Funkadelic, Oakland’s own MC RyanNicole bringing the bars, and a dynamic baroque string quartet, Blues, Baroque & Bars expounds on the blues, bringing together jazz, funk, R&B, classical, and hip-hop to tell stories of triumph, sadness, romance, injustice, protest, humor, and resilience.

Plaza Stage
Rounding out the Plaza Stage will be Oakland native and classically-trained pianist, emcee, composer, and bandleader Kev Choice; multi-talented rapper/singer/songwriter and Oakland treasure Jonah Melvon; and three-time Grammy nominees, Oakland’s own Alphabet Rockers.

Clay Street Stage
The Clay Street Stage will be headlined by the West Coast Blues Society Caravan of All Stars and also feature emerging Gospel artists Pastor Bo Jackson and Sounds of Life, Tamara Edwards, and JaCoree Prothro and The Crew; Future Rising: Oakland Public Conservatory of Music Alum and Faculty; and a participatory Community Dance Party led by the one and only Carla Service, founder of Oakland’s Dance-A-Vision Entertainment.

The Black Culture Zone
An exciting new feature of Art + Soul, The Black Cultural Zone CDC will present Liberation Park on the Road in full effect with the UMOJA Roller Skating Rink, AKOMA Outdoor Market on the Road, and Outdoor Play Day! Festivalgoers are invited to join at noon for the first skating session with DJ KG, and then shop with local artisans, crafters, and makers.

And of course, there will be lots of great food, beer, wine, artisans, and tons of fun for the entire family!

Details
Saturday, July 23 from 12 Noon to 6 PM
At the Frank Ogawa Plaza and the surrounding area in Downtown Oakland.

Getting there
The Oakland Art + Soul Festival is one of Northern California’s most accessible events with direct service via both BART’s 12th Street City Center station and AC Transit (get more info at 511.org). $10 parking is available in the adjacent City Center West Garage located on 12th Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Get all the details on the Oakland Art + Soul website.
And, see the full music lineup here.

Press
One of the Top 7 Bay Area Music Festivals to Get Your Groove On
Culture Trip

Highlighted as a Must-See in Oakland’s Ranking as 15th Coolest City in America to Visit
NY Times

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