Food truck market Off The Grid is returning to Oakland Museum of California this Thursday, Feb. 3, 2021. Off The Grid originally made its debut at OMCA in January 2013 for the popular Friday Nights at OMCA, but the street food fair hasn’t happened since it was canceled in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
Off The Grid will bring two to four food trucks for lunch on Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m to 2 p.m on 10th Street between Oak and Fallon. The lunch service coincides with OMCA’s Lunchtime Sessions: Music, Dance, and Storytelling, a free event that runs every Saturday from January to March with live outdoor performances at the museum’s 10th Street amphitheater.
off the grid food trucks at omca
Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m to 2 p.m
Fridays 5 p.m. to 8 p.m (starting Feb. 11)
The trucks will be located on 10th Street between Oak and Fallon Streets.
Starting next Friday, Feb. 11, Off The Grid trucks will also be at OMCA for dinners from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Unlike Friday Nights at OMCA, the new dinner event won’t feature live music. The Friday Nights at OMCA event, which also included late-night gallery hours to visit the Museum and family activities is on indefinite hold. When the Oaklandside last spoke to OMCA Director and CEO Lori Fogarty in the summer of 2021, she mentioned wanting to bring the event back that fall. That plan ultimately fell through because of the pandemic’s resurgence.
In an email to the Oaklandside, OMCA communication specialist Ashleigh Richelle said: “OMCA’s program team is still exploring bringing back Friday Nights in the future, but there’s no time frame yet.”
This Saturday, Feb. 5, the food trucks will also be part of OMCA’s 21st Lunar New Year Celebration from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The outdoor event includes storytime with author Oliver Chin, author of the new graphic novel series Awesome Asian Americans, musical performances, lion dancers, and a healing circle to address violence against the AAPI community. You can buy tickets for the event here.