“OakLuv Fruitvale Posada” Free Carnival & Roller Coaster, Petting Zoo + 3,000 Free Tamales (2023)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The Fruitvale Posada was founded in 2008 by Alex Cox of the OakLuv Foundation. The celebration that started at his childhood home on 38th Ave and Foothill in the Fruitvale in 2008 outgrew it’s location and with the support of The Unity Council, was moved to the Fruitvale Village and draws nearly 3,000 people every holiday season.

In it’s current constellation, the Posada’s is a collaborative effort of the OakLuv Foundation, The Unity Council, the Fruitvale’s beloved ice cream shop Nieve Cinco de Mayo and Oakland District 5 Council Member Noel Gallo with each member leveraging each other’s resources to bring holiday cheer to the Fruitvale. For this year the collaborative was joined by the Oakland General Plan’s Deeply Rooted Collaborative and CURYJ – Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice.

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Posada is a completely free event and runs from 10am – 5pm and features a stage with multicultural performances and performances featuring the songs of Posada, a holiday popup market with retail and community outreach boots, a petting zoo with pony and horse rides, snow playground, photo booths, face painting, carnival games, a 40 ft roller coaster slide, Christmas Tree and computer giveaway, a toy distribution and Fruitvale Santa riding into the festival on an Oakland Fire Engine.

The festival also gives out 3,000 tamales, thousands of cups of ponche and atole, popcorn and cotton candy.

This year Posada is celebrating it’s Quincenera and will also feature the largest pinata in the history of the City of Oakland. Burning Man industrial designers, Fruitvale business Nieve Cinco de Mayo and local school children have come together in a labor of love to build the pinata. It will be the size of two mini-vans, be hoisted on a crane, and will be filled with biodegradeable confetti, soft toys and candies. Also, in honor of it’s Quincenera, the festival will also feature the winners of the Matriarch Fund Grant, a new endeavor of the OakLuv Foundation which will provide (5) $3,000 grants to Matriarchs across Oakland.

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.