Oakland is gearing up for its fourth annual Oakland Style celebration, a five-day showcase of art, music, fashion, cuisine and culture running October 7 through 11. The event features fashion shows, sneaker exhibits and cocktail experiences.
This year's lineup brings together fashion, cuisine, music and art. The event kicks off October 7 with the Oakland Style Mixology Competition at The Rotunda in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, where 14 local mixologists will compete for a $5,000 top prize to craft the city's official 2026 Oakland-Style cocktail, according to Visit Oakland. Participating bars and restaurants include Popoca, Viridian, Sobre Mesa and ACRE Kitchen & Bar, with both attendee votes and judge ratings determining the winner.
Student Designers Take the Runway With Foraged Materials
The flagship runway show, Inspired on the Runway, lands October 8 at Uptown Station's Atrium, bringing together 21 upcycled student designs from Oakland School for the Arts alongside collections from Kingmakers of Oakland and Creative Growth Art Center, per Eventbrite. The student designers built their garments using foraged materials inspired by Oakland's diverse neighborhoods, according to the same listing.
Kingmakers of Oakland, one of the organizations featured in the runway show, runs its Fashion Academy out of a West Oakland production house, where it trains Black youth ages 14 to 21 in clothing design, screen printing, embroidery and brand development, per Kingmakers of Oakland.
Inclusive Art and Sneaker Culture Round Out the Week
Creative Growth Art Center, an Oakland art studio and gallery championing artists with disabilities, is hosting an open studio tour on October 8 highlighting wearable art from its Beyond Trend fashion program. Garments produced in Creative Growth's studio have previously appeared in national fashion publications including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and WWD, according to Creative Growth Art Center.
The Art of Sneakers was scheduled for October 11-12, 2025.
Oakland Style's Third Year
Oakland Style's 2025 event marked its third year and spanned five days, bringing together arts, fashion, music and cuisine, per 7x7 Bay Area.
