Oakland hosts a rich array of festivals where you can experience a wide variety of cultures and cuisines. This week, Oaklash, the celebration of queer Oakland, takes over venues around town starting on Thursday for drag performances, dancing, and more. The Greek Festival will have food demonstrations, choir and dance performances and lots of tasty treats. And, in East Oakland, the Malcolm X JazzArts Festival will take over San Antonio Park for a day full of jazz, hip hop and spoken word for the whole family. 

Have an event you’d like to see included here? We do our best to stay on top of what’s happening in our community, but we love a tip. Send us a note at azucena@oaklandside.org. You can also use the self-submission form on our events page to add it to our calendar for free.

Hot Ticket in The Town this week: Oaklash festival

This year’s queer culture festival will kick off on Thursday with a fundraiser dance party  for the organization at Thee Stork Club and continue on Friday with a rave at a laundromat in East Oakland, where Euphemia and DJ Queer Mom will be spinning all night. The headline event is Saturday’s block party in Old Oakland with two stages, 60 performers, seven DJs, 50 food and art vendors, and what organizers say will be “thousands of queer and trans people living their fantasy.” Plus, all the performances will be ASL interpreted. If you still have energy after the block party, there’s an after party at CryBaby. To close out the festival, Oaklash will feature a sonic celebration of the Black diaspora on Sunday at the Night Heron. The organizers want the festival to be accessible to everyone, so no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 
Thursday, May 14, to Sunday, May 17, see website for times and locations, $22.50 to $112.50

Merritt College Spring Plant Sale

It is not too late to start a backyard or container garden, and the community college’s horticulture department is here to help. Stop by the campus to pick up a variety of annual veggies, perennial flowers, herbs, native plants, indoor plants, ornamental plants, and succulents. The kiosk’s hours vary every week; check out the department’s Facebook page for announcements.
Open this week on Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 12500 Campus Dr.

Oakland Greek Festival

You have three days to experience everything that Greek culture has to offer, from cooking demonstrations, to dance performances, cold beer, and a food hall featuring morsels like walnut and almond-filled baklava, honey-dipped melomakarona, crunchy koulourakia pastries, and hummus, warm pita bread, and dolmades from various food vendors .
Friday, May 15, 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., $5 to $12, Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension, 4700 Lincoln Ave.

Malcolm X JazzArts Festival

The 26-year-old festival honoring the legacy of Malcolm X is once again taking over San Antonio Park in East Oakland for a free day of jazz music, poetry, dance, food and art vendors, and other activities for the whole family.
Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., free, San Antonio Park, 1701 E. 19th St.

Floetry duo, singer Marsha Ambrosius known as “the songtress” (left), and spoken-word poet Natalie Stewart, known as “the floacist.” Credit: courtesy of Jake Mulka

Floetry Presents: ‘Say Yes The Tour’

Floetry, the duo of Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart are back on their first national run together since 2016. The tour concludes in Oakland for a night blending spoken word and soul, featuring singer-songwriters Raheem DeVaughn and Teedra Moses. 
Sunday, May 17, 6 p.m., $94.05 and up, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway

Spotlight Sundays with People’s Kitchen Collective and Emory Douglas

This event at the Oakland Museum will kick off with a documentary inspired by science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s “Parable” series, followed by a conversation with members of the People’s Kitchen Collective, an organization dedicated to the idea that “collectively cooking and sharing food is sanctified and celebrated community work in many cultures” and Emory Douglas, the former minister of culture and revolutionary artist for the Black Panther Party.
Sunday, May 17, 1 p.m., $1 to $30 sliding scale, Oakland Museum, 1000 Oak St.

Coming soon to The Town: Juju’s Burlesque at Yoshi’s

This burlesque show was written and directed by performer and Oakland native Jujuana Williams. According to Williams, the show is the city’s first all-Black musical. The show premiered last fall at Yoshi’s to a sold-out crowd and it is expected to sell out again.
Wednesday, June 10, 7 p.m., $45 to $80, Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West

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