upcoming Oakland events

There's literally too much fun stuff to do this week in Oakland and not enough time to do it all. The event getting a lot of press is the Eat Real Festival at Jack London Square, but there are concerts, fundraisers, book events, walking tours, plus one of my favorite events, Park(ing) Day, which converts parking spaces around Oakland into parklets for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy.

City Center concerts - Wednesdays at noon. Free concerts in City Center each Wednesday through October. (free)

Downtown walking tours - Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am. The walking tours program goes through the summer, rotating through the 8 different tours. They're a great way to get out and see Oakland and learn about its people and history. Coming up: Saturday, September 22 - Old Oakland. (free)

Oak Barrel Bash - Thursday, September 20, 6-8:30pm. Fundraiser for Rebuilding Together Oakland, with a raffle for great wine and other prizes. ($50-$70).

Bites off Broadway - Friday, September 21, 5:30-8:30pm. A regular food truck event in Temescal, this Friday also features a city council district 1 candidates forum. Hear from the district 1 candidates while you enjoy great food from local food trucks! Voter registration will also be available. (free)

Park(ing) Day with WOBO - Friday, September 21. Park(ing) Day is a great celebration where unused street spaces and some parking spaces are converted into parklets for the day! Last year's Park(ing) Day was hella fun. A number of locations around Oakland are working towards permanent parklets. (free)

Eat Real Fest - Friday, September 21–Sunday, September 23. Fun-filled food fest in Jack London Square. Check out coverage of last year's Eat Real Fest. Read more about it at Oakland Local. (free)

Friends of Montclair Library Fall Book Sale - Saturday, September 22, 10:30am-3pm. Great deals all day, and fill-a-bag discounts from 2-3pm! (free)

Black Panther Party walking tour of North Oakland - Saturday, September 22, 12-2pm. A history walking tour of North Oakland, Led by original Black Panther Billy of It’s About Time, an organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party. Part of Phat Beet's Food n' Justice Workshop Series (free)

Oakland: The Story of a City at Linden Street Brewery - Saturday, Steptember 22, 5-7pm. The Oakland Heritage Alliance is hosting a reading to celebrate the publication of the 2nd edition. Books and beer will be available for purchase. Read more about Oakland: The Story of a City, which is a must-read book for anybody interested in Oakland. (free)

Starlight Gala - Saturday, September 22 - Gala black tie fundraiser for the Chabot Space and Science Center ($500)

Dixieland Jazz at Pardee Home - Sunday, September 23 from 1-4pm. The historic Pardee Home hosts the "Spirit of '29 Dixieland Jazz Band". ($20).

Positive Body Clothing Swap at Halmoni - Sunday, September 23, 6-8pm. Bi-monthly clothing swap for women of all body types. (women only; free)

Sundays in the Redwoods! - starting Sunday, September 23, 2pm. A concert series featuring a variety of musical groups at the Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park. This Sunday is Reggae in the Redwoods. ($10)

Help Design AC Transit BRT Stations in your neighborhood - various dates. AC Transit will be holding a series of meetings to get public comment on the various BRT stations between downtown Oakland. The first meeting will be Monday, September 24, 6-7:30pm at the Fruitvale Senior Center. (free)
Shoutout to Rebecca Saltzman for alerting me to this meetings.

Farmigo Oakland Launch Party! - Tuesday, September 25, 6-9pm. La Borinqueña Mex-icatessen is going to be a pickup location for Farmigo, which connects people to local farms. Tina Tamale is helping them celebrate in style at Kitchener Oakland! (free)

ongoing events:

Bites off Broadway (Fridays)
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)
OMCA Summer Nights (last Friday of the month)

looking further ahead:

Five Historic Houses Bike Tour - Saturday, September 29. East Bay Bike Coalition tour of 5 historic Oakland houses by bicycle, plus an optional extension to Linden Street Brewery. Learn some Oakland history and have fun! (free)

Red Cross Out for Blood Fun Run - Sunday, September 30, 9am. A fun fundraiser for Northern California Red Cross blood services. Read about last year's fun run. ($25-$30)

Taste of Temescal - Tuesday, October 2, 6-8:30 pm. A culinary crawl to scintillate your palates: the Taste of Temescal on Telegraph Avenue between 43th and 51st. Benefits area schools and non-profits. ($30)

Oaktoberfest - Saturday, October 6, 11am-6pm. The annual festival in the Dimond. Although it's centered on the beer tent, there's lots of music, food and family-friendly events, too. Check out coverage of last year's Oaktoberfest. (free admission; beer tickets available for purchase)

HellaWeen Run - October 27, 5:30pm - 5 mile evening fun run in Old Oakland and West Oakland. Come out and show your creative side with a costume! Put on by the Oakland Running Festival. ($31+)