Rainbow flags are going up across Downtown Oakland this week as the city gears up for its Pride parade and festival on Sunday. Leading the celebration as Grand Marshal is Joshua Huynh, owner of Town Bar & Lounge, whose staff have been talking up the milestone in interviews with local television crews as the date approaches.
KRON4 anchor Stephanie Lin visited Town Bar & Lounge ahead of the festival, speaking with Huynh and mixologist Peter Ho about the bar's role in the celebration, according to KRON4. Huynh opened the bar in April 2023 inside the historic 1930 Art Deco I. Magnin building, building the business alongside his brother and contractor father after years of permitting delays and pandemic setbacks, as The Oaklandside reported at the time. Establishing the venue required a Major Conditional Use Permit and Cabaret Permit for alcohol sales and live music, since the building sits within the Central Business District Pedestrian Retail Zone, according to Oakland City Planning Commission records from June 2020.
A Festival Under New Management
This year's celebration looks a little different behind the scenes. Oakland Pride shifted into a direct program under the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center after the festival's former organizing nonprofit dissolved following years of financial insecurity and administrative struggles, The Oaklandside reported in February. The center brought on dedicated staff to stabilize the festival's finances and weave year-round health and social services into the event itself, per the same report.
The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center itself has deep roots in the city. It was founded in 2017 by Black gay veterans Joe Hawkins and Jeff Myers as California's first LGBTQ center established by Black leaders, according to the San Francisco Bay Times, and was set up in Lake Merritt to serve marginalized and vulnerable queer residents. That history now underpins an event that traces back even further: the modern Oakland Pride festival was revived in 2010, ending a seven-year gap in citywide Pride events after East Bay Pride celebrations ended in 2003, according to Bay Area Reporter archives, with that comeback festival headlined by Chaka Khan.
Parade Route, Festival Hours, and Ticket Prices
The day kicks off with a free parade down Broadway starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by a ticketed festival running from noon to 6 p.m. at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, according to event listings on Eventbrite. General admission runs $20 for adults, while children 12 and under get in free, per the same listing.
Festivalgoers will find four music stages this year — Main, Latin, House, and Generations — spread throughout the plaza, according to the official Oakland Pride event page. The grounds also include Sexy Town, an 18-and-older area focused on sexual health resources and pleasure-positive programming, alongside a separate sober area designed for families and seniors.
Amerie, Fey, and Lady Alma Headline the Stages
Musically, the festival is bringing in national names. Grammy-nominated singer Amerie, Mexican pop singer Fey, and house music vocalist Lady Alma are set to headline across the festival's stages, with performances scheduled throughout Downtown Oakland, according to Oakland Pride's official listings.
Town Bar & Lounge's connection to the celebration goes beyond its owner's Grand Marshal title. The venue raised more than $15,000 for the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center's food bank through door donations during its first year in operation, KQED reported in 2024, regularly collecting contributions at the door to support local food security programs.
Part of a Broader Nightlife Revival
Huynh's bar has also been cited as part of a wider commercial resurgence of LGBTQ-owned venues in Downtown Oakland. Its 2023 launch, alongside nearby spots Fluid510 and Summer Bar & Lounge, signaled what venue owners and local media called a queer nightlife renaissance, SFGATE reported, with business owners hoping to build a walkable nightlife corridor similar to San Francisco's Castro District.
Hoodline first reported on plans for a new LGBTQ bar in the I. Magnin building back in January 2021, years before Town Bar & Lounge opened its doors. Hoodline also covered the festival's earlier years, including scenes from the 2018 and 2019 celebrations, long before this year's organizational shakeup and national headliners reshaped the event.
