Friday Nights at OMCA: Halloween Festive Dance Party & Live Music | Oakland

Submitted by the Event Organizer

“Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid” Block Party + DJs (Oakland)

Reconnect with family, friends, and community during Friday Nights at OMCA. These free events provide a gathering place each week, including live music, hands-on activities, Off the Grid (OTG) food trucks, and late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions with a Museum ticket. Limited flat rate parking for Friday Nights is available in the OMCA Garage for $10.

As we enter the holiday season, Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid (OTG) will begin its seasonal break. The final Friday Nights at OMCA with OTG of 2023 will be October 27, 2023. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party will resume in April 2024.

The galleries will remain open to the public during the Museum’s regular business hours, including admission to Special Exhibitions Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD and Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya. Please visit our website museumca.org for details.

Thanks for spending another fabulous year with us on our beautiful campus!

Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid

Every Friday, 5-9 pm – Final night: October 27, 2023
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland
FREE (for food truck access and outdoor activities)

– Optional late-night museum admission for purchase

How To Get There

• BART: OMCA is at the corner of Oak and 10th Street and is located one block from the Lake Merritt BART Station.
• AC Transit: OMCA is accessible by a number of AC Transit bus lines. OMCA is at the corner of Oak and 10th Street. An accessibility ramp is located at the main entrance on Oak Street between 10th and 11th. For more information, visit actransit.org.
• Free Bike Parking: Free, on-street bike parking is available outside the Oak Street entrance to the Museum. Limited free covered bike parking is available in the OMCA Garage during garage hours, and on Oak Street Plaza, which is on the third level of the Museum, during Museum hours
• Street Parking: Free street parking of often available.
• Garage Parking: Event parking is available at the Museum Garage, with a $10 flat fee starting at 5 pm. The Museum garage closes at 9:30 pm (Thu-Sun)
• Get Driving Directions

Off The Grid Mobile Food Creator Lineup

Curveball Sliders, Cool!naria, Caribbean Spices, Southern Comfort Kitchen, Curry Up Now, Golden Gate Gyro, Momolicious, 3-3-3 Truck, WoKitchen, Kabob Trolley, Senor Sisig, Humphry Slocombe, and more. For all of the details, visit Off the Grid

Special Events

Friday, October 6, 5—9 pm
Let’s Lab with AstraLogik!
Hands-On Screenprinting
Sketchboard Community Figure Drawing
DJ Benet
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours
A-100 Photo Booth

Friday, October 13, 5—9 pm
Havana Nights SF, Presented by Rumbaché and The CaliDance
Oak Leaf Community Art Project
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours
DJ True Justice
Fall Teacher Night

Friday, October 20, 5—9 pm
Live Beatmaking with SETI X
Let’s Lab with Christopher Kenji!
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours, Great Hall
DJ Bitesize!

Friday, October 27, 5—9 pm
SambaFunk! With King Theo Ogum
Introduction to Brasilian Samba Community Dance Class with Queen Joy Brussard
Oak Leaf Community Art Project
DJ Siyah

Friday, October 25, 2019
“Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid” Block Party + DJs (Oakland)

Get ready for Halloween, OMCA-styl. Don your favorite costume and practice your best moves for a festive dance party. Get crafty with hands-on activities for kids and enjoy a lineup of live music and dance from local performers that changes weekly.

Bring friends and family for a taste of local music, food, and culture at the Oakland Museum of California every Friday Night.

Late Night Gallery Hours
-5–10 pm: Galleries Open Late
Explore the Museum’s 110,000 square feet of gallery space until 10 pm, including exhibitions and activities for the whole family.

What’s on view?

Level 1
Take Root: Oakland Grows Food
Gallery of California Natural Sciences

Level 2
New! No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man
Great Hall

Black Power
U.S. Immigration: Who Is Let In, Who Is Kept Out?
Gallery of California History

Level 3
New! ¡El Movimiento Vivo! Chicano Roots of El Día de los Muertos
Question Bridge: Black Males
Gallery of California Art

-7:30–7:45 pm: Snack-Sized Docent Tour
Visit the Ticketing Desk on Level 2 to discover the meeting location.
Join a lively fifteen-minute mini-tour led by a talented OMCA Docent with a surprise theme each time. Included with Museum admission.

Music, Dance, and Performances
-5–6:30 pm: Resident DJ
10th Street Amphitheater
Reggae with DJ Irie Dole of Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi

-6–8 pm: Music
Oak Street Plaza
Caroline Chung

-6:30–7 pm: Dance Instruction
10th Street Amphitheater
Diaspora dance with Alicia Langlais

-7–9 pm: Music
10th Street Amphitheater
Reggae with Bayonics

Family Activities
-5–8 pm: Create a Nicho for Día de los Muertos
California Room
Create your own nicho, a commemorative object traditionally used as a shrine dedicated to an important figure or loved one in celebration of Día de los Muertos. Don’t forget to visit ¡El Movimiento Vivo! Chicano Roots of El Día de los Muertos to learn more.

-6–8 pm: Family Reading Time with the Oakland Public Library
California Room/Level 1 Lobby
Explore a selection of favorite books—provided by the OPL’s bike-powered book-mobile—then curl up and read together.

-6–6:30 pm: OMCA Family Storytime with the Oakland Public Library
Learning Center – Level 1
Join our friends at the Oakland Public Library for family-friendly storytime with stories, songs, and rhymes.

Local Food and Drink
-5–10 pm: Off the Grid Food Trucks
10th Street
Enjoy a rotating lineup of local gourmet food trucks from Off the Grid.
Check out the weekly list on the Off the Grid website.

-5–9:30 pm: Blue Oak Beer Garden
Level 1
Enjoy beer and wine specials from local makers.

Kick back and relax with seating available on 10th Street, the 10th Street Amphitheater, Oak Street Plaza, the OMCA Gardens or café patio.

Save your spot
Reserve a picnic table for your group during Friday Nights at OMCA or book a Friday Night lounge.

Shop Bay Area Artists and More
-5–9 pm: Marketplace at OMCA
Level 1 Lobby
Explore our weekly rotating market featuring local Bay Area artists, jewelers, and craftspeople.

-5–9:45 pm: OMCA Store
Level 2
Discover great California-themed gifts by local artisans, our broad book selection, find exhibition-themed favorites, and more.

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.