Just across the bay from San Francisco and sharing a border with the liberal college town of Berkeley, the city of Oakland (population 414,000), long a major shipping and manufacturing base, has experienced a major revival in recent years. As the cost of living has risen in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area, many have moved to Oakland and neighborhoods throughout the city, from Rockridge north to downtown to Lake Merritt, to historic Jack London Square and the Alameda waterfront – I’ve seen an influx of new transplants, including many LGBT residents.
Increasingly compared to the alternative arts and indie culinary scenes of Portland, Austin, and Brooklyn, Oakland is a city to see and a fun place to explore. If you’re in the area in the fall, you can also attend a relatively new (now in its seventh year) LGBT event, Oakland Gay Pride, taking place in mid-September. This year’s date is Sunday, September 11, 2016.
Oakland Pride takes place on a Sunday and includes two key events. The Oakland Pride Parade, which begins at 10:30 am on Broadway and 14th streets, at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, and continues east on Broadway to 20th Street – here is a map of the Parade route Oakland Pride.
After the parade, the Oakland Pride festival takes place throughout the afternoon, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Broadway and 20th and offers live entertainment on multiple stages (Womyn’s, White Horse, Main Stage, Latin), community vendors and more. This year’s main act is pop star Deborah Cox, but other musicians will also be in attendance. Admission to the festival is $ 10.
Oakland Gay Resource – Bay Area Gay Resources
The city’s official tourism organization, Visit Oakland, has a great website with tons of great travel tips, as well as a number of articles of interest to gay visitors. Just to the north, Visit Berkeley is another handy visit to learn more about exploring what there is to see and do in the East Bay.
Oakland has a handful of gay bars, and these spots will definitely be booming during Pride weekend – they include the venerable old White Horse Inn near the Berkeley border, the very popular Bench and Bar in downtown Oakland (also known as BNB) and the Latino-inflected gay bar Club 21, which is also downtown. Also take a look at Bay Area gay newspapers, such as the Bay Area Reporter and the San Francisco Bay Times,
Of course, Oakland is easy to get to from San Francisco, and you’ll find tips on where to stay in the Castro Gay Hotel Guide, Downtown San Francisco Gay Hotel Guide, and the San Francisco SoMa Gay Hotel Guide. Gay bars in San Francisco have all the details on cool places to stay in San Francisco, and San Francisco’s featured CVB site on GLBT travel is also very helpful.
