Oakland Museum of California X Black Freedom Fund Present Juneteenth! at the Museum

A Joyful Celebration of Black Music, Art, Food, and Community Across OMCA’s Campus
Press Kit with Images

May 14, 2026

Oakland, CA, May 14, 2026 — On June 19, 2026, Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) and Black Freedom Fund present Juneteenth! at the Museum, a full-day celebration honoring Juneteenth through music, art, dance, food, and community. Guests can expect a vibrant campus filled with live performances, DJ sets, hands-on activities, and cuisine that reflects the depth, diversity, and roots of Black culture. Join us at OMCA for this joyful, can’t-miss tribute to Black heritage, resilience, and community.

Between iconic live music from boundary-pushing artists like Ian Kelly, Red Lotus, Madison McFerrin, and Saba, and fire music sets by DJ Red Corvette, DJ Lady Ryan, DJ KenZo, Daghe, and DJ Kream, OMCA’s campus will come to life with family-friendly festivities throughout the day.

This festive atmosphere will be paired with cuisine from Town Fare Cafe and a delectable variety of Pan-African and Black diasporic cuisine from Bay Area chefs and Off the Grid food trucks, including Mela Bistro, alaMar, Cocobreeze, Pound Bizness, and more. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and enjoy their food picnic-style on the Garden lawn, or dine at picnic tables available throughout the Garden and along 10th Street.

Visitors can also connect with community through movement and hands-on activities, like Turf dancing with Telice Summerfield, soul line dancing with Chocolate Platinum, and Juneteenth fan- and button-making.

“Juneteenth at OMCA reflects our commitment to being a gathering place for all Californians, where art, history, and community come together,” said Lori Fogarty, Executive Director of OMCA. “In partnership with Black Freedom Fund, we are honored to celebrate Black culture in all its richness and to welcome our community for a day of joy, reflection, and connection.”

“Juneteenth is a celebration of Black joy, resilience, creativity, and community,” said Marc Philpart, President and CEO of Black Freedom Fund. “We’re proud to partner with OMCA to create a space where people can gather across generations to honor our history, experience the richness of Black culture, and imagine the futures we continue building together.” The celebration also features OMCA’s latest Special Exhibition, Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory—the first major museum survey of the beloved Bay Area artist’s five-decade practice. Throughout the day, visitors can join a special Gallery Chat led by Professor Leigh Raiford and attend the premiere of Memories in Motion: The Life and Art of Mildred Howard, a short documentary offering an intimate portrait of the artist’s life and work.

Contact:
Alexxa Gotthardt [email protected], 330-472-3775
Azayza Jimenez [email protected], 510-318-8467

KEY DETAILS

DATE: Friday, June 19, 2026
TIME: 1-4 pm; Festival access starts at 11 am, with a formal welcome beginning at noon.
ADDRESS: 1000 Oak St, Oakland, CA 94607
TICKETS: Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for children 12 and under, with advanced registration. Tickets can be purchased at museumca.org/juneteenth starting Wednesday, May 20 for OMCA Members and Friday, May 22 for General Admission.
PARKING: Limited parking is available in OMCA’s Oak Street Garage for a day rate of $10; overflow event parking is available at Alco Park (165 13th Street) for the day rate of $7.
TRANSIT: Located just one block from the Lake Merritt Station, OMCA is BARTable. As parking is expected to fill quickly, taking public transit or ride share is strongly encouraged.
DO BRING: Picnic blankets, low-back lawn chairs, and sun protection, like hats and sunscreen, are encouraged to help stay comfortable throughout the celebration. Guests are also welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy during the day.
DON’T BRING: Alcoholic beverages, large stake-in-ground umbrellas/shade structures, or pets (only service animals allowed).

FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

10TH STREET | LOWER LEVEL | 11 am–4 pm
Enjoy a delectable variety of Pan-African and Black diasporic cuisine from Bay Area chefs and Off the Grid food trucks, including Mela Bistro, alaMar, Cocobreeze, Town Fare Cafe, Pound Bizness, and more!

TOWN FARE CAFE | MID LEVEL – VIP TICKET REQUIRED | 11 am–4 pm
Chef Michele McQueen of Town Fare and Lucy Blue, in collaboration with Maker’s Mark, presents Juneteenth Jubilee VIP. VIP tickets are $110 and provide an all-inclusive Juneteenth experience featuring a catered buffet, indoor and outdoor lounge seating, a specialty welcome cocktail, a live DJ, Spades and dominoes games, hand-printed Maker’s Mark merch, a Wine Alley presented by Black Vines, a complimentary photo booth, and more.

PERFORMANCES AND DJ SETS

AMPHITHEATER STAGE | LOWER LEVEL
11 am–12:30 pm | Music Set by DJ Kream
3–4 pm | Music Set by DJ Kream

ACTIVITIES

MID LEVEL TERRACE | MID LEVEL | 11–4 pm
Shop and enjoy artisanal goods from local Black creatives.

KORET PLAZA | LOWER LEVEL | 12–4 pm
Make a folding paper fan and a wearable button inspired by Juneteenth!

AMPHITHEATER | LOWER LEVEL | 12:30–1:30 pm
Join Telice for an all-ages Turf Dance Lesson celebrating Black liberation.

AMPHITHEATER | LOWER LEVEL | 2–3 pm
Get moving with a Soul Line Dance Lesson hosted by Chocolate Platinum!

JAMES MOORE THEATER | LOWER LEVEL | 2:15–3:15 pm*
Watch thepremiere of the short documentary Memories in Motion: The Life and Art of Mildred Howard, written and directed by Lamar “MYL3Z” Brown and Delency Parham, with cinematography byKevin Kumar and Tristan Custodio.

This film traces the spaces, moments, and relationships that have shaped artist Mildred Howard across eight decades of life rooted in the East Bay. Moving from her Berkeley childhood home to the neighborhood where she raised her twins, and through the cities that now hold her public works, Memories in Motion: The Life and Art of Mildred Howard shows how Howard’s art grows directly from the communities, places, and experiences that surround her. In doing so, the film places Howard within a lineage of Black women whose everyday lives form a vital artistic and intellectual tradition. By revealing how Howard’s personal life is foundational to her artistic practice, the film resists drawing a line between Mildred the artist and Mildred the person—showing how her roles as mother, grandmother, food connoisseur, music lover, and mentor are essential to the creative life she has built.

GALLERY ACTIVITIES

KORET PLAZA | LOWER LEVEL | 12–4 pm
Pick up a Juneteenth gallery guide and explore our galleries to learn more about Black changemakers and collectives from the Bay Area.

GREAT HALL | MID LEVEL | 1–2 pm*
Join us for a special edition of Gallery Chats inside Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory led by author and Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies, Leigh Raiford. In this informal conversation, Raiford will draw from her personal and professional experiences with Howard’s life, art practice, and this unique exhibition. The first major show to celebrate the artist’s work, this project explores memory, identity, and the African American experience. Raiford will interweave her own in-depth knowledge and background in teaching, researching, curating, and writing about Black visuality. This Gallery Chat will invite visitors to reflect on how personal memory and collective history shape the broader stories that define us through the lens of this beloved Bay Area artist.

ALL GALLERIES | LOWER, MID, UPPER LEVELS | 1–3 pm
Moving beyond the traditional museum tour, Gallery Chats invite visitors to engage in conversation, ask questions, and connect with OMCA facilitators who blend content expertise with lived experience to spark meaningful dialogue and new perspectives. Gallery Chat facilitators can be found in OMCA’s Great Hall Special Exhibitions and the Core Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences. Gallery Chats are included with Museum admission.

* Limited seating. Doors will open 15 minutes before start time.

Juneteenth! at the Museum is made possible in part by the generous support of the Black Freedom Fund. Additional support is provided by Maker’s Mark and Golden State.

ABOUT BLACK FREEDOM FUND
Black Freedom Fund (BFF) invests in the leaders and organizations at the center of Black communities, advancing people-led solutions to secure the future all people deserve. Through funding, capacity building, and technical support, BFF strengthens organizations, supports movement infrastructure, and mobilizes philanthropy to resource community-led work. Since 2020, BFF has granted over $48 million to more than 200 organizations throughout California, strengthening the ecosystem advancing equity and justice.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
Founded in 1969 as a “museum of the people,” Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the diverse stories of California’s art, history, and natural environment. Through inclusive exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, OMCA creates space for meaningful dialogue and strives to build more equitable, empathetic, and connected communities. With more than 2 million objects, OMCA’s collection of art, history, and natural science is a resource for understanding California’s dynamic heritage—all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. A leading Bay Area cultural institution rooted in Oakland, OMCA is dedicated to fostering an environment where visitors from the region, state, and beyond feel valued and empowered to shape the future of California’s cultural landscape.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. All-inclusive Museum admission is $25 general admission; $22 for seniors; and $18 for youth ages 12 to 17, as well as for students and educators with valid ID; and free for Members and children 12 and under. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. An accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum.