Friday Nights at OMCA with ALPHABET ROCKERS
Live Musical Performance by ALPHABET ROCKERS, Music Set by DJ Broad Strokes, Coloring with Moms 4 Housing, Drag Storytime with Per Sia, and Gallery Chats
September 5 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Join us this Friday to get into an epic groove with the Grammy-winning ALPHABET ROCKERS. Transforming the stage with powerful rhythms and messages, this electric team creates Hip-Hop that sparks change and encourages belonging. Co-led by Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Soulati Shepherd, their interactive set invites all ages to move, reflect, and build community together.
Come enjoy the Garden for Drag Storytime with Per Sia as she brings warmth and flair to Jolene and Dakata Gutiérrez’s Mamiachi & Me, a lyrical story about courage, culture, and performing in an all-femme mariachi band. Then use that creative inspiration to participate in a coloring activity led by Moms 4 Housing, who will host a resource table with information on housing justice and ways to get involved.
Seal the evening with a high-energy set from DJ Broad Strokes, whose genre-blending mix of Hip-Hop, R&B, disco, Latin, and more brings people together on the dance floor.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:
5–9 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions evening hours with Museum ticket
5:15 pm Drag Storytime with Per Sia | OMCA Garden
5:30–7:30 pm Coloring Activity with Moms 4 Housing | OMCA Garden
5:30–7:30 pm Gallery Chats | All Galleries
6:30–7:30 pm Live Performance by ALPHABET ROCKERS | Garden Stage
6:45-8:50 pm Music Set by DJ Broad Strokes | 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
ALPHABET ROCKERS are visionary artists creating music and media that spark change and build a culture of belonging. Co-led by Kaitlin McGaw (she/her) and Tommy Soulati Shepherd (he/him/they), this GRAMMY-winning team centers youth voices to imagine more just, inclusive futures. Their work spans music, books, animation, and live performance—partnering with leading institutions like the Othering & Belonging Institute, Destiny Arts Center, and Oakland Museum of California. With over five million listeners and a legacy rooted in research, artistry, and community, Alphabet Rockers are reshaping what children’s media can be.
Per Sia comes with a pedigree from weekly performances at the late, iconic Esta Noche. Her trajectory has gone on to include art curation, stand-up, television, and maybe a quinceañera or two, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and México. Per Sia is currently a regular performer in the nationally acclaimed “Drag Story Hour” as well as an educator in residence at an after-school arts program in the San Francisco Unified School District, profiled on KQED Arts, National Public Radio, and CNN.
An immigrant from the Philippines whose family planted roots in Southern California in the ’80s, Broad Strokes draws inspiration from across eras and around the globe. Raised on the music coming out of her parents’ boombox—‘90s Hip-Hop and R&B, and SoCal’s rave scene—she moved to Seattle during the height of the grunge era, then moved to the Bay with its rich cultural and musical diversity. She then lived in New York for a few years, decided the West Side was the best side, and returned to the Bay. Broad Strokes’ curatorial approach reflects this wide range of influences and genres, from both her past and her open-minded and curious approach to what’s on the horizon. At the heart of her craft is finding sounds that inspire movement and dance—and that deep sense of connection that follows on the dance floor. As part of her mission to foster community on the dance floor, she founded the Bay Area DJ Calendar (bayareadjcalendar.com) as a resource to help people discover music and events all over the Bay Area.
Sponsors
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and Bank of America.
