{"id":180208,"date":"2026-02-16T15:21:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/180208\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T15:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:21:15","slug":"the-east-bays-hottest-party-is-a-protest-on-a-freeway-overpass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/180208\/","title":{"rendered":"The East Bay\u2019s hottest party is a protest on a freeway overpass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many locals know that for many years, the pedestrian overpasses above Interstate 80 in west Berkeley have been the site of numerous protests. <\/p>\n

But since January, a new group of activists\u00a0been gathering on one such concrete bridge \u2013 captivating commuters with fun and family-friendly Friday night dance parties (opens in new tab)<\/a>, replete with glow sticks and whimsical inflatable costumes.\u00a0They call it the \u201cOverpass Visibility Dance Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

This gathering is a new weekly collaboration between Indivisible (opens in new tab)<\/a>, a nationwide progressive organization and others who call themselves \u201cNICE\u201d agents, as in \u201cNot ICE.\u201d (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of going to protest is really intimidating to a lot of people, even if people feel strongly about the encroachment of tyranny,\u201d Jennifer Quinn, one of the organizers of NICE.<\/p>\n

The overpass party is more approachable, and arguably, more fun, than a conventional protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see joy as an important element in resistance,\u201d Quinn added, noting that she\u2019s been inspired by Days Like This (opens in new tab)<\/a>, a weekly community dance party at Lake Merritt in Oakland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA person dances in front of a peace sign at the Overpass Visibility Dance Party on Feb. 13, 2026. | Source: Jungho Kim for The Standard<\/p>\n

At a recent gathering, dozens of attendees, ranging in age from babies to seniors, were decked out in frog and unicorn outfits, which first became an anti-ICE trope during protests last year in Portland, Ore (opens in new tab)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The overpass scene was celebratory and eclectic (opens in new tab)<\/a>: some people brought their own lights, chairs and speakers, with others joining to dance. <\/p>\n

Kids blew soap bubbles while dogs ran around in neon collars. Teenagers in inflatable cat and axolotl costumes danced to Chappel Roan and Ke$ha, while a lone speaker blasted Muse next to an animated protester in dark sunglasses and a beaming heart necklace.<\/p>\n

The idea came together earlier this year, when Quinn first encountered Maria Shanle, a volunteer with Indivisible East Bay \u2013 they met on the very same overpass during a daytime protest following Renee Good\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

On that day, when the sun was going down and people were slowly phasing out, the two struck up a conversation. Soon, they had dreamt up a new way to activate the location which, when night falls, is normally just filled with the endless drone of cars zooming below.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleTess Daingle, 14, dances with friends on the University Ave. overpass in Berkeley on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. | Source: Jungho Kim for The Standard<\/p>\n

While the same overpass is a common gathering spot for quotidian activism, the nighttime party takes the vibes to a new level.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The party] is something new and fresh for the drivers,\u201d Shanle said. \u201c[It\u2019s] a very positive, open, welcoming and family-friendly environment.\u201d <\/p>\n

Last Friday, she personally greeted partygoers with Valentine\u2019s-themed cupcakes, Costco Pizza and portable strobe lights. <\/p>\n

Throughout the bridge, partygoers were invited to support the various entities supporting the party, including the Immigrant Defense Network (opens in new tab)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vera Chang (opens in new tab)<\/a>, a professor of environmental justice at St. Mary\u2019s College, brought her whole family. Her husband, in comical inflatable pants, kept an eye on their toddler in a stroller, who observed the lights with awe. <\/p>\n

Chang, who went to college in Minnesota, said many of her friends live in the neighborhoods where the latest violent incidents had occurred.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an interesting confluence of energy that\u2019s taking place here,\u201d she said, while wearing a baby carrier. \u201cPeople are reaching deep inside themselves for reasons to have hope and to generate change.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA person waves an American flag next to banners in Berkeley on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. | Source: Jungho Kim for The Standard<\/p>\n

That sentiment was pervasive among nearly everyone who came out. <\/p>\n

While wearing a floor-length flowery dress and foam goggles, one attendee who gave her name as \u201cV-Mama,\u201d said she was finally ready to head home, having danced to the entire latest Bad Bunny album while on the overpass. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt so helpless with everything that\u2019s been happening over the last few weeks, so much division and meanness,\u201d she said. \u201cDance is my happy place. I wanted to move the energy, to make a statement. I love the idea of joyful resistance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the cacophony of music definitely adds to the vibe, Quinn, the organizer, noted that she\u2019s now looking for a \u201cmainstream DJ who knows how to make teenagers dance.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hopefully, she mused, getting young people to spur connections and interactions would embolden them to take action in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t know anyone to go to a protest with, you just might meet someone on the overpass,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n