15th Oakland Pride Set for New Location and Will Feature Music Legends

Photos courtesy of Visit Oakland

Oakland Pride 2025 will mark the 15th anniversary of this popular East Bay event that is really more like a week-long celebration than a single day’s observance. In addition to the Children’s Fairyland events highlighted in this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, there will be an LGBTQ+ film shorts festival at the historic Grand Lake Theatre on Wednesday, September 3. Reel Queer Flix will include, not only the film showings, but also an after-party at a nearby bar with the details to be announced at the event (keeping that a fun mystery!).

Importantly, the location for this year’s Pride on September 7 will move to Oakland City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza. The festival entrance will be at 14th & Broadway, with the parade from 11 am–1 pm starting at 22nd & Broadway and finishing at 12th & Broadway. The festival will then take place from noon–6 pm.

As of this writing, the Grand Marshals have not yet been announced, but many of the entertainers have been revealed. The mainstage headliners will be music legends CeCe Peniston, Martha Wash, and Kamaiyah. Superstar Christian Chávez, of the band RBD and also an actor in telenovelas, will be the Latin Stage headliner. That popular stage is produced by Valentino Presents and Club Papi.

The Mighty Real Stage is another one not to miss. It is curated by legendary Bay Area DJ and producer David Harness. Among the artists who will be featured are Charles Hawthorne, Nina Sol, Black Panda, and Steven Kelly.

The organizers of Oakland Pride share: “Since 2010, we have been an influential coalition dedicated to educating the greater Bay Area and promoting equality, social justice, civic involvement, and responsibility within Oakland and neighboring communities.

Historically, our events have attracted over 50,000 attendees and have raised $3.3 million for the Oakland community as we continue to live and buy locally.”

“Our organization has a shared vision of providing an equitable platform, safe spaces, and events for the entire Oakland community,” they continue. “Our events celebrate Oakland’s rich and diverse queer community, support Oakland’s BIPOC businesses & nonprofits, and highlight the resources available to the community through a series of events throughout the year that lead up to Oakland Pride Weekend—a Festival and Parade.”

The San Francisco Bay Times is once again a media sponsor and will have a booth at the festival. We hope to see you there and at other great Oakland events. https://www.oaklandpride.org/

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Oakland Pride
Published on August 28, 2025