In two weeks, Oaklash takes over the Town, and we are doing things a little differently this year! As much as our team loves running around like chickens with our heads off for 72 hours to bring you a weekend of seemingly nonstop queer art and shenanigans, we wanted to focus in on bringing you the best Oaklash festival experience. We decided it was time to hand of our Friday and Sunday events to the next generation! Oaklash was started in 2018 with a $1,000 grant from the Calamus Foundation, and we thought it was time to pass on the love.
This spring, we offered two fellowship opportunities via our Oaklash Skills for Nightlife Accelerator Program (O-SNAP!) to independent event producers or crews to produce an event in Oakland during the weekend of The Oaklash Festival 2026. Each fellowship awardee will receive coaching support from our Board President and O-SNAP! Coordinator (me, Charles Hawthorne) along with a $1000 artist grant to support them in dreaming big, leaning into collaboration, and trying new creative ideas to bring people together.
Read more about their events below and support at the ticket links!
DO NOT BLEACH! is a love song to the culture that makes the world groove. Climb out of your depression laundry pile from this winter (clean off that chair, babe) and sweat through your wash day fit in a gentle cycle rave at the historic Family Laundry. Featuring DJs Euphemia and Queer Mom rinsing RnB edits, regional black club music, ATL Bass, and all things smooth, sensuous, and rooted, reaching a fevered peak by the end of the night. Think the TLC Creep video, but with better dancing (what was that choreo?), and the speed turned up to 160+BPM. You know we love a roller coaster, and we’re going Six Flags Over Georgia in the East Bay. 🎢
Come dressed to refuse no loads, but we’ll have to refuse yours-- sorry, but you can’t actually do your laundry that night! Everyone is welcome, but THIS IS A CAPITAL B IN BIPOC NIGHT, AND A TRANS, QUEER, AND FEMME-FORWARD SPACE. COME CORRECT OR WE’LL EJECT. As always, respect the space, respect each other, and come get cathartic with us.
Come with us on this sonic experience to connect with our roots and celebrate our power, our presence, and our movement. Welcome to a space where we can be openly Black and Queer, with no apologies, only praise, by bringing your essence decked out in your favorite Afro-fashion era. There’s no such thing as being too much!
Vintage photo studio experience on a first come first serve basis, 3-5pm
Small plates by Jerkies: Taste of Jamaica
Pili Pili is also supported by the Black LGBTQ Migrant Project - BLMP, a program of the Transgender Law Center
P.S to the non-black queer people who plan to attend, think about what this space is about and how you can be an ally (hint: pay-it-forward)
We are so proud of the work and growth we have seen in our grantees already, and we know these events are going to be sickening! (So is what we have planned for Saturday ») Grab your tickets, we will see you there!
ROT FESTIVAL 2026 brings affordable accessible experimental embodied arts to historic stages and spaces throughout San Francisco, with 17 days of performances, immersive training, drag and parties, and community events for all performing arts and audiences and movers.
For tickets, registration and information check out: www.freshfestival.org
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