Friday Nights at OMCA with Awesöme Orchestra ft. DIA LUNA
Live Music by Awesöme Orchestra ft. DIA LUNA, Soul Line Dance with Chocolate Platinum, Music Set by DJ Karlita, Gallery Chats, and Fall Teacher Night
September 12 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Kick off this Friday Night with an unforgettable blend of music, dance, and community celebration! Experience Awesöme Orchestra on the Garden Stage with special guest DIA LUNA, as they premiere live arrangements from her genre-defying art-pop catalog. Part open rehearsal, part performance, this all-ages experience invites you to witness how orchestral music comes to life with rich vocals and lush arrangements.
Get moving with a Soul Line Dance lesson led by Chocolate Platinum, featuring the energizing “Boots on the Ground” routine. Bring your fans for a quick demo on how to pop them, and then dance along to this fun, easy-to-follow groove. DJ Karlita will give you more space to explore your moves as she spins a vibrant mix of Latin house, Afrohouse, Hip-Hop, disco, and Afrobeats.
This Friday, educators will be flowing from our annual Fall Teacher Night, complete with gallery workshops covering our new special exhibition Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain, and are encouraged to connect, unwind, and explore OMCA during our Friday Nights celebration. Friday Nights at OMCA also offer a well-rounded gallery experience with Gallery Chats. Unlike traditional museum tours, Gallery Chats invite visitors to engage in meaningful conversations, ask questions, and connect with OMCA facilitators, who combine deep content knowledge with lived experience to encourage fresh interpretations of the Museum’s exhibitions.
Program Schedule:
4:30–7 pm Fall Teacher Night | Great Hall
5–9 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions evening hours with Museum ticket
5:30–6:30 pm Soul Line Dance Lesson with Chocolate Platinum | Amphitheater
5:30–7:30 pm Gallery Chats | All Galleries
6–8 pm Live Music by Awesöme Orchestra ft. DIA LUNA | Garden Stage
6:45–8:50 pm DJ Karlita Music Set | Amphitheater
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About Friday Nights:
Join us for Friday Nights at OMCA, where Oakland comes together! Every Friday from April to October, bring your crew for an unforgettable night of free live music and activities for the whole family. Bring a blanket and settle down on the lawn, or take advantage of exclusive late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions (Museum ticket needed for gallery access).
Hungry? Grab a bite from any of the ten Off the Grid food trucks lining 10th Street between Oak and Fallon Streets, offering a delicious mix of rotating flavors. Beer, wine, mixed drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase. Once you’ve fueled up, head to the OMCA Garden, where picnic tables and blankets await you to enjoy your meal. With lawn games, engaging museum programs, and a vibrant community atmosphere, it’s the perfect setting for making memories at one of Oakland’s most iconic spots.
OMCA also offers a $10 flat-rate parking in the OMCA Garage until 10 pm. Please note that outside alcohol is not permitted, and event details and performances are subject to change.
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.
Performers
Off the Grid Food Truck Lineup
Performer BIOS
Awesöme Orchestra has been bringing orchestral music to adventurous places throughout the SF Bay Area since 2013.
DIA LUNA is the sly alias of Mexican American artist Andrea Diaz and the name of her art-pop project with her cousin, main producer, and engineer, Tomas Deltoro-Diaz. Often compared to art-rock chameleon St. Vincent, and possessing a voice as seductive and rich as R&B icon Sade, DIA LUNA weaves a collage of sounds and influences to create music that feels both artful and familiar. Her live set pushes the boundaries of performance, utilizing looping as a method of layering her luscious vocals and breathing life into her song arrangements.
Patricia Lowe, aka Chocolate Platinum, is the dynamic CEO and founder of The Chocolate Platinum Soul Line Dancers, established in 2012. An award-winning choreographer and a Certified Master Line Dance Instructor, Patricia has made a lasting impact on the world of soul line dancing through her creativity, leadership, and passion for the art. Her contributions have been recognized at the highest level—earning her a place in the U.S. Library of Congress, a testament to her cultural influence and dedication to the dance community.
A dancer, community organizer, and DJ, Karla Flores, aka Karlita, fuses her Bay Area roots and Central American background into her art. Using dance as a portal into other creative outlets, she’s been able to travel and teach internationally and has thrown groundbreaking events such as AfroRooted. She views the art of DJing as a musical love letter to her dance community, blending rhythms of Hip-Hop, funk, disco, and Afrohouse. Karlita has been an active dance battle DJ since 2023 for open styles, breakin’ battles, and has expanded to pop-up events such as OMCA, Days Like This, and more. Her credits include: BADECollective, ReVision, All The Way Foundation, East Bay Get Down, I Need A Break Vol 3, Str8jacket, and BeMovement Collective.
Sponsors
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and Bank of America.
