‘Oakland First Fridays’ Community Festival To Return October 1

It’s back!!

If you’ve lived in the Bay long enough, you surely remember the days of Oakland First Fridays , a lively community festival that thousands of people look forward to on the first Friday of every month. After pausing the event last spring due to Covid-19, the beloved festival will finally return to Telegraph Avenue on Friday, October 1 from 5-9pm on Telegraph Ave!

During the last year, Oakland First Fridays put on a series of Covid-compliant community feeds and events, providing food and PPE to the community on a small scale. Back in May 2020, they posted on Instagram asking for donations to help save First Fridays, following staff furloughs and other major setbacks to the event. They also worked to promote various partners and events seeking support during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and requested community input in March of this year for bringing First Fridays back. After countless fundraisers, neighborhood cleanups, changes to Telegraph Avenue and more, we are thrilled to hear that we get to enjoy this awesome event once again!

Oakland First Fridays works tirelessly to promote Oakland creators, including entrepreneurs, artisans, performers, DJs, musicians, dancers, poets, art galleries, street artists, restaurant owners, and more. This festival is a fundamental part of Oakland life, providing an affordable venue for many creators to share their work and connect with the community. The first official Oakland First Friday festival was in 2011, and it quickly grew into the spectacle it is today, currently managed by the nonprofit Koreatown Oakland Community Benefit District (KONO).  You can donate to support the creators and event infrastructure here .

Enjoy Oakland First Fridays on the first Friday of every month from 5pm-9pm. Vendors line Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street in Oakland.

Featured image: Eddie Hernandez via Shutterstock