The city of Oakland doesn’t slow down in the Fall. This year’s autumn calendar is jam-packed with events in West Oakland like the Life is Living festival and the Oakland Black Cowboy parade at DeFremery Park, the day-long Dia de los Muertos festival in Fruitvale, and Oaktoberfest in Dimond. There’s something to do in almost every corner of The Town.

Mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on all the fun!

Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch

Now in its 30th year, the Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch is ready to welcome visitors. Owner and operator Jon Goldstein can help you find the perfect pumpkin, Halloween decor, or sell you tickets to the patch’s haunted house, which has both a kid-friendly and adult versions. The pop-up remains open through the first week of November. And don’t worry, no pumpkins go to waste: any leftovers are devoured by the animals at the Oakland Zoo. 
From mid-September to the first week in November, free to enter the pumpkin patch, $10 for the haunted house, 4414 Piedmont Ave.

Fall series and Ferry Lawn concerts at Jack London Square

Jack London Square is hosting two series with live music. The first takes place every Saturday through Oct. 3, at the plaza near Scott’s Seafood. The second is two shows happening in October. Oakland musician and educator Kev Choice is featured at the Oct. 11 concert. Both series are free.
Saturday, Sept. 26, and Oct. 3, 6 to 8 p.m., free, plaza near Scott’s, and Sunday, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, 3 to 5 p.m. free, Ferry Lawn

St. Vartan Annual Armenian Food Festival

For over 100 years, a large Armenian community has called Oakland home. In 1926, when Armenians established their church here, so did the Ladies Aid Society, a group of parishioners who carried forward and shared Armenian culture. For the past seven decades, the ladies of the church and its parishioners have opened their doors to greet other Oakland residents for a two-day festival filled with tasty treats like sarmas. Don’t forget to check out “grandma’s attic” to score some vintage goodies.
Friday, Oct. 2, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 3, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., $10, St. Vartan Armenian Church, 650 Spruce St.

Oaktobefest in the Dimond

Every October for the past two decades, the intersection of Fruitvale Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard transforms into a beer-lover’s paradise. This year, the Dimond District’s two-day festival will include over 100 craft brews, 5 stages of music including youth performances by student-led groups from Head-Royce School, Oakland School for the Arts and Berkeley High, a performance by Orchestra Gold on the main stage, and a turf dance competition. 
Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, beverage package options, Fruitvale Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard

A family pets a horse during the Oakland Black Cowboy Association’s annual festival at Defremery Park in 2024. Credit: Amaya Edwards for The Oaklandside

Oakland Black Cowboy Parade

The Oakland Black Cowboy Association, a nonprofit, founded by Lonnie Scoggins, promotes the legacy of the Black cowboys in the Wild West. For the past 52 years, Scoggins’ group has been holding its annual parade in DeFremery Park. The Black cowboys want to ensure that younger generations have access to this part of Black History in the Town. This year’s festival includes vendors and activities for kids — and of course friendly cowboys riding horses. 
Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., free, DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St. 

Oakland History Center Fall Series

The Oakland Public Library’s Oakland History Center and the magazine department are teaming up for a stacked calendar of 9 events, kicking off on Oct. 3 to announce the winner of the history diorama contest. The series includes an exhibit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party, a discussion on the 15th anniversary of Occupy Oakland, and much more.
The series kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 3, see website for a list of all dates, Main Library, 125 14th St. 

Oakland Style Week

Downtown’s Rotunda building takes center stage every year to kick off Oakland Style Week. The week kicks off with a mixology competition from local restaurants and continues with fashion shows, art events, and culinary experiences all around town. 
Wednesday, Oct. 7 to Sunday, Oct. 11, see website for the list of events

The Autumn Lights festival is one of the most popular fall events in Oakland. Credit: courtesy of Autumn Lights Festival

Life is Living festival

Since 2008, the Life is Living festival, started by the People’s Kitchen Collective, has taken over DeFremery Park with an array of live music, free food, family-friendly activities, and community services, all in the heart of West Oakland. The free community festival takes inspiration from the Black Panther Party’s survival programs, including free food,. This year’s theme is “A Party for Self-Defense.”
Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free, DeFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St.

Autumn Lights Festival

Now in its 15th year, Autumn Lights is one of the most popular festivals in Oakland and it tends to sell out quickly every year. The festival serves as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt. Don’t miss out on seeing the Gardens at Lake Merritt transform into an illuminated light display that weaves the beauty of nature with 75 locally-produced installations.
Thursday, Oct. 15 to Saturday, Oct. 17, $12.51 for ages 17 and under, $28.52 for adults, 666 Bellevue Ave. 

Black Panther Party’s 60th anniversary

The Huey P. Newton Foundation is planning four days filled with events including a gala and a community day at DeFremery Park to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party. 
Thursday, Oct. 15 to Sunday, Oct. 18, see website for schedule of events and locations

Oakland Symphony 2026-2027 season

The Oakland Symphony will kick off its season with a special concert featuring special guest vocalist and OSA alumnae B. Deveaux. The orchestra will be led by the symphony’s music director Kedrick Armstrong. 
Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m., see website for ticket prices, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway

Ashely Thopiah in “Luna Mexicana” (left), and Graham Lustig’s “The Nutcracker” (right). Credit: Jordan Park (left) and John Hefti (right).

Love Life Week

In 2016, the city adopted the motto “Love Life” to honor Lo’Eshe Adanma Lacy, a 16-year-old student killed by a stray bullet in 1997. Oakland musician and educator Kev Choice is the city’s “Love Life Week” advisor, and you’ll see him around town at community events promoting this guiding principle. The initiative asks Oakland residents to do something positive to uplift the city: host an event, clean up your neighborhood, or buy a stranger a cup of coffee. Oakland will release the final details about events on Thursday, Oct. 1
Monday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 25, see website for more info and locations

Driveway Follies Halloween puppet shows

A Halloween marionette show, started in 2007 by the late artist and puppeteer Larry Schmidt in his Trestle Glen driveway, has continued to mesmerize kids and adults alike every year. Besides the spooky entertainment it provides, Driveway Follies helps preserve the nearly lost art of marionette puppetry with back-to-back shows beginning at sundown. Adults are encouraged to attend the nighttime shows. Also, the event organizers encourage attendees to wear a well-fitted mask to prevent the spread of flu or COVID. 
Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, back-to-back shows starting at dusk, 3854 Greenwood Ave.

Oakland Ballet 2026 season

The Oakland Ballet is kicking off its 61st season, under the guidance of artistic director Graham Lustig, with its yearly Day of the Dead show “Luna Mexicana” with two shows. Then, in December, with two performances of “The Nutcracker.”
Friday, Oct. 30, Sunday, Nov. 1, Saturday, Dec, 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20, see website for tickets, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway

Día de los Muertos in Fruitvale

One of Oakland’s biggest annual festivals, Fruitvale’s Day of the Dead always includes colorful community altars honoring loved ones, live music, food, and vendors. But this year’s street fair will have something new: a 34-foot sculpture catrina handcrafted in Mexico that will adorn the Fruitvale Transit Village through the first week in November. 
Sunday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, International Boulevard between Fruitvale Avenue and 41st Street

7th annual Glowfari at the Oakland Zoo

This family-friendly event showcases hundreds of animal lanterns all throughout the zoo. This year, it includes new themes including San Francisco Bay, Montana’s plains, the Florida Everglades, and Hawaiian rainforests, all to highlight the biodiversity of these special places and show how species interact with their habitats.
Friday, Nov. 6 to Sunday, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., tickets will go on sale starting Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 a.m., Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd.

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