31 Hour Opening Celebration Weekend | Oakland Museum of California

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The newly transformed, re-imagined Oakland Museum of California throws open its doors to the people of California in a grand Opening Ceremony. Following the official ribbon-cutting OMCA will remain open, free to the public for 31 hours in honor of the 31st state with round-the-clock free programs and events until they close at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The festivities begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 1, on the street in front of the new Oak Street entrance with a Native American Ohlone blessing, a marching band, Project Bandaloop performing a spectacular aerial dance, and more. And the non-stop celebration continues through 6 p.m. Sunday, May 2.

• “Only in California” Saturday afternoon activities highlight the innovative and creative spirit of California.
• Saturday evening and overnight activities take on a more adult flavor with dancing, live music, games, film, food vendors, a cash bar,off-beat gallery tours, and conversations on uniquely California topics. Bring your PJ’s and wake up to early morning yoga.
• Sunday is especially for families with dancing, drumming, hands-on family activities, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and more. The new expanded OMCA Store will be open the full 31 hours so visitors can shop whenever the mood strikes.

OPENING CELEBRATION WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 1, 2010, 11 am through Sunday, May 2, 2010, 6 pm
Full Schedule (PDF)

Saturday Afternoon, May 1
11 a.m. Opening ceremony at Oak Street entrance:

• Native American Ohlone blessing by tribal member, artist Linda Yamane
• Welcome by OMCA leadership and elected officials
• Project Bandaloop: Premiere of an aerial dance created for the opening,
• with sound from OMCA’s California Library of Natural Sounds.

11–6 Free Bike Valet Parking by East Bay Bicycle Coalition (Oak Street)
12:30-12:45 Project Bandaloop (Oak Street)
11–3:30 Holistic Hooping: Hula-Hoop demonstrations (around the Museum) and Dazzling Dave: yo-yo champ (around the Museum)
12-3 Music by Alice 97.3 DJ (Koi Pond area at 10th Street)
12–6 Docents in the Galleries (Galleries of California Art & History)
1–1:30 San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (Oak Street)
1–3 Demonstration of basket-making by Linda Yamane (History Gallery)
1:30–1:45 Project Bandaloop (Oak Street)
2–2:30 Demonstration by yo-yo champ Dazzling Dave (Great Hall)
2:30–3:15 San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (Oak Street)
2:30–3:30 Hip-Hop with Oakland Hip Hop Dance Institute (Tent)
3:15–3:45 Master whistler Sean Lomax (Great Hall)
3:30–5:15 Dixieland Dykes + 3 (Koi Pond area at 10th Street)
4–5 Hula-Hoop workshop with Holistic Hooping (Tent)

Evening and Overnight Programs With a Grown-up, Social Flavor
Saturday evening events (from 6 p.m. through 6 a.m. Sunday) change over to a more adult flavor at OMCA’s all-night party (pajamas and sleepwear are encouraged). There will be DJs and live radio broadcasts; non-stop conversations about California Futures. Food and drink vendors include Chef Robert Dorsey III from OMCA’s new cafe, Blue Oak; OMCA caterer Karen Bevels; Tante’s, and more, All this and fire dancers, too!

Saturday Night, May 1
6–7 Tommy Guerrero Solo, guitar with live looping and noodling (Art Gallery)
6–7:30 Square Dancing with the Schoolhouse Stringband—Learn California’s official State Folk Dance (Tent)
6–9 Live 105 DJ spinning dance music (Great Hall)
7–8 Sex, Drugs, & Rock ‘n’ Roll Gallery Tour with Inez Brooks-Myers, OMCA curator of costume & textiles (meet at Art Gallery)
8–11 Film (Tent)
8–10 California Futures: Technology—#CALIFORNIA Tweet Fest—with social media staff members from Bay Area museums (Asian, Contemporary Jewish, Cal Academy, Exploratorium, OMCA, SFMOMA, and YBCA), plus MoPhO, the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra! (Café)
9–10 Fire Dancers (Oak Street Plaza)
9:30–10:30 Nonstop Bhangra Bollywood Dance Party with Dholrhythms Dance Troupe performances and lessons (Great Hall)
11–12 Tommy Guerrero LIVE: a total get-down affair (Great Hall)
11–1 a.m. Frameline Film Screening (Tent)
11–1 a.m. California Futures: Radical Start-Ups—with: Dr. Carol Queen, Good Vibrations; Richard Lee, Oaksterdam University; Ron Turner, Last Gasp. Followed by radical fun! (Café)
12–4 a.m. Acoustic music and gallery games (Art and History Galleries)
12–1 a.m. Madam Z palm reader (Art Gallery)
12:30–2 a.m. DJ (Great Hall)
1–2 a.m. Madam Z palm reader (History Gallery)
1–2 a.m. YELP Elite party (Café)
1-4 a.m. Strolling acoustic musicians: Freddi Price, Zoli Lundy, Isabel Douglass, and more to come (Art and History Galleries)
1–2–3 a.m. Oakland Soft Rock Choir Tour of Art Gallery

Wake up with early morning yoga in the gardens and coffee. Then OMCA welcomes visitors for family events until 6 p.m.

Schedule for Sunday, May 2
5:30–7:30 Mike Miller’s Bubble Project (Oak Street Plaza)
7–8 Yoga class with Ann Dyer (Great Hall)
8:15–9:15 Chanting Class with Ann Dyer (Great Hall)
8–10:30 Oakland Firefighters’ Pancake Breakfast to benefit IAFF Local 55. (Tent)
9:30–11:30 Lake Merritt Photo Walk with Richard Blair
10–12 California Futures: Oakland and the Fight for Food Justice—panel moderated by Chef Robert Dorsey III from Blue Oak, OMCA’s new cafe, with Erick Holt-Giménez, Food First; Brahm Ahamdi, People’s Grocery; and more to come. Followed by DIY workshops! (Café)
10:30–12 Oakland School for the Arts Jazz Combo (Oak Street Plaza)
11–6 Free Bike Valet Parking by East Bay Bicycle Coalition (Oak Street)
11–5 Hands-on Family Fun: take a family photo and make a frame with Our Family Coalition; make a celebratory hat with the Museum of Children’s Art; make a spinning button toy with DEAF Media. (Great Hall & Tent)
11–5 Face Painting. Koi Pond Talks with the pond guy. Games with 4 Square of the East Bay. DJ from Movin’ 99.7 Radio. (Koi Pond area at 10th Street)
12:30 Capacitor Dance Company (Oak Street Plaza) (Repeats at 1:30, 2:30. 3:30)
12:45–1:30 DRUMMM Rhythmic Events/Community drumming (Tent)
1:55–2 Rap with A’Dunyae Lee (Great Hall)
2–2:30 Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (Great Hall)
3:30–4 Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (Great Hall)
4:30–5:15 Community drumming with DRUMMM Rhythmic Events (Tent)

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.