#GirlPower First Friday’s Block Party

Oakland First Fridays is an immersive art and community experience on the first Friday of each month on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street.

Every First Friday from 5–9:30 pm, Oakland’s KONO district (Koreatown Northgate) springs to life with galleries, artist collectives, street artists, local culinary artisans, performers, musicians, dancers, DJs, and poets gathering for Oakland First Friday events.

Thousands of people come from across the Bay Area and beyond to see and experience art, be inspired, eat great food, enjoy live music, and stroll through the amazing, eclectic city of Oakland.

One of the cultural partners of Oakland First Fridays is Oakland Art Murmur, a collection of galleries and mixed-use venues many of which are open First Friday evenings. The range of artistic exhibitions is inspiring.

Most of the venues are open from 6–9 pm. Many of the galleries are adjacent to the Telegraph Avenue site of Oakland First Fridays on 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th Streets going east toward the hills.

Directions to Oakland First Fridays
Parking is a breeze! Here is a list of parking garages in the area. There are limited parking meters on side streets along Telegraph Ave. Make sure to bring quarters! Feeling lazy? Take BART to 19th Street and stroll a few blocks down to 23rd Street and Telegraph Ave.

#GirlPower Block Party

Join Oakland’s beautiful artists, crafters, musicians, and artisan food vendors in celebrating art and #GirlPower on March 3, 2017 to honor International Womens HERstory Month.

ENTRANCE GATE

Soul Beats – 5 – 6 pm & 8 – 9:15 pm
Soul Beatz is a drum group that originated from the Ashby station drum group in Berkeley. They’re a group with a few individuals that came from different backgrounds, but when they start to play together, there is a fantastic connection that can’t be denied. One truly have to be present to feel the love and the intensity of their drum beat.

Julia Chigamba and the Chinyakare Ensemble – 6 – 8 pm
The Chinyakare Ensemble is a family of musicians, dancers and teachers committed to preserving and sharing traditional Zimbabwean culture, and promoting community building and education through music and dance. Chinyakare presents an electrifying performance of the traditional dance, music, and culture of Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.

23RD ST TRIBUTE AREA

Say It Loud – A ’70s Fashion Show by Mario B Productions – 7:30 – 8 pm
This fashion show features looks inspired by the love and glamour of retro ’70s fashion, with models strutting down the catwalk in styles inspired by the African-American Ballroom scene. Afros, jumpsuits and platforms will come down the runway to the beat of your favorite groovy funk and soul classics, sure to leave you feeling absolutely fabulous!

23RD ST OUT
Flow Jam Hula Hoopers – 5 – 9:15 pm

24TH ST STAGE

DJ Wiley-E – 5 – 6 pm
DJ Wiley-E has been performing around the Bay Area since 2004. His dynamic setlists includes songs from Motown, ’70s, Rock, Latin, Hip-Hop, Rap, Reggae, and today’s top 40s. DJ Wiley-E loves what he does, providing good entertainment flow for party people.

Jasmine Infiniti – 6 – 7 pm
Born in the Bronx New York, Jasmine (a non binary/Trans woman) is currently based in Oakland, California. A DJ and now Producer; Jasmine got her start in music with a creative family called New World Dysorder. NWD is an all inclusive collective, centering and celebrating trans and gender non-conforming people.

Ambreezy BA aka DJ FELA KUTCHi – 7:15 – 9:15 pm
Your #1 Scratch n Sniff DJ is an Oakland native party starter whose selection of hot & heavy bass cuts, booty grinding house, footwork, and international gems collected will leave your panties wet. FELA KUTCHI brings the crowd antics and fun-loving riots to her DJ sets making the dance floor a safe space for all creatives, freaks, oddballs, and disco grannies to be themselves and shake their butts!

24TH ST PERFORMANCE AREA

Turf Inc – 5 – 9:10 pm
TURFinc works with inner city kids to teach and learn the fundamentals of TURF dancing and provides an engaging, exciting way to keep the youth off of the streets in order to give them a fighting chance in the world. The overall goal of TURFinc is to take this powerful dance style that is changing lives beyond the streets and into a safe, positive environments, and to give youth opportunities to showcase their story and skills with the Oakland and the world.

25TH ST STAGE

DJ Elembe – 5 – 6 pm & 8:15 – 9:15 pm
DJ, drummer, and artist Elembe Blaise has a vast catalog of music specializing in African, world, reggae, dancehall, bhangra, salsa, funk/soul, jazz and hip hop.

CONTXT – 6:45PM – 7:15PM
[CONTXT] is a group of 3 people united around a love of creating and performing a unique blend of Electronica, Rap, R&B, and South American music.

Barrio Manouche – 7:30 – 8:15 pm
Barrio Manouche is an acoustic San Francisco-based international septet playing music that, founder Javier Jiménez explains, “is inspired by the places we come from and the places we have lived, those that have come before us, and the nomadic Gypsy spirit. We believe that music is a primary form of expression and we use it to describe the world as we see it”. The band performs a repertoire of instrumental and original compositions with a unique sound that it’s difficult to classify but instantly recognizable, deeply influenced by a range of musical traditions, from the swing of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, to the hot jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, the flamenco of Paco de Lucía, to the avant-garde sounds of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

SAKE GARDEN

DJ Das Boots – 5 – 9:15 pm
DJ Das Boots, is a Bay Area Native looking to take crowds on a journey. With roots in b-boying and rocking the stage as a rapper, his approach is to keep everyone and everything moving. Funk, Soul, Samba, Hip Hop, Future Bass and house are all part of his arsenal; and while it may be new to some the grooves are familiar to all.

Alcoholic beverages are served exclusively within the Sake Garden, located in front of Gogi Time at 26th St and Telegraph Avenue. Otherwise, no alcohol is allowed at the street festival.