Friday Nights at OMCA |  Carnival Takeover w/ MasFX and VibeHauss

Friday Nights at OMCA | Carnival Takeover w/ MasFX and VibeHauss and Alameda County Community Food Bank Spring Event

Friday Nights at OMCA kicks off Oakland Carnival weekend with a bang! In celebration of the vibrant cultures of the Bay Area the night starts at the Garden Stage with a Soca Meets Samba Dance Workshop, a fun, all-levels, all-ages dance class highlighting some of the most popular moves from each genre. Immediately after, the MasFX Carnival Dance Experience will perform a portion of their 2024 showcase that leads into a party worthy blend of Soca, Reggaeton, Dancehall, Afrobeats, Baile Funk, Hip-Hop, House and more with a set from  VibeHauss DJ’s. The Amphitheater will be activated too and will transport you to Trinidad and Tobago with the smooth vibrations of Socalypso Steel Pan Band. 

As we celebrate the vibrant cultural tapestry of the Bay Area, OMCA also welcomes the Alameda County Community Food Bank as it brings its mission to end hunger to Friday Nights with OMCA and Off the Grid! Come meet the Food Bank and get hands on with its breadth of programs and services, including grassroots advocacy, nutrition education, and CalFresh (food stamp) enrollment assistance. Staff and volunteers from across the food bank will be on hand all night sharing about their work—which also includes providing 1 million meals worth of food every week—and the ways to both access their services, volunteer, and other ways to give back.

Lastly, throughout the night Gallery Chats in Special Exhibition, Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya  provides another opportunity to be inspired by the social fortitude that holds our vibrant community together as facilitated community-led conversations allow guests to dive deep into the gallery content.

Program Schedule: 

5—9 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions  evening hours with Museum ticket

5—8 pm Alameda County Community Food Bank Community Event | Garden

5—6:45 pm Carnival Takeover with MasFX and VibeHauss | The Garden Stage

5:30—6:30 pm Soca Meets Samba Dance Workshop | The Garden Stage 

6—8 pm Gallery Chats  | The Great Hall 

6:45—7:30 pm Socalypso Steel Pan Band | Amphitheater

7:30—8:45 pm Vibe Hauss DJ Set  | Amphitheater

About Friday Nights:

Gather with family, friends, and community every Friday at 5 pm for free live music and hands-on activities, Off the Grid food trucks, and late night access to our galleries and special exhibitions, with a Museum ticket.

Bring your own or grab dinner from any one of the 8 Off the Grid food trucks on 10th Street between Oak and Fallon Streets. Beer, wine, mixed and non-alcoholic drinks are available for sale. After grabbing a meal from a wide and weekly changing menu of culinary creations, head to the OMCA Garden where you’ll find picnic tables and blankets to enjoy your local eats. Play lawn and table games, enjoy weekly rotating Museum programming, and create new memories at one of the Town’s most treasured spaces right in the heart of Oakland.

No outside alcohol permitted. Performances are subject to change. Limited $10 flat rate parking for Friday Nights is available in the OMCA Garage until 10 pm.

Accessibility 

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.

For over 35 years, Alameda County Community Food Bank has stood by our unwavering belief that food is a basic human right. We distribute millions of healthy meals every year, and are on the forefront of new approaches to ending hunger and poverty.

MasFX Dance is a passionate, multi-disciplinary performance collective that hosts immersive Carnival experiences to honor the shared lineages of African-American, Caribbean, and Brazilian art and culture in the Bay Area. We showcase contemporary Carnival music and dances to uplift the values, traditions, and legacies of the African Diaspora across the Americas. We foster community wellness through dance classes and workshops designed to make people of all experience levels and backgrounds sweat and smile without fear of judgment. We facilitate collective joy by collaborating with local producers and promoters to host Carnival experiences in the Bay Area and beyond. Carnival is the ultimate embodiment of joy and liberation; our goal is to make it accessible and appealing to all ages and backgrounds.

Some call it ‘vibe’. Some call it ‘energy’. Some call it ‘spirit’. It’s the intrinsic way we move through the world to find where we belong. Where we feel free and full of light. Lighter than air, we float. The syncopation of our movements, energy, and thought. This is VibeHauss. A lifestyle brand with the purpose of bridging the divide between cultures by creating spaces for kindred spirits to connect.

Sponsors

Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and Bank of America.