Fall officially arrived about a month ago, but it hadn’t quite felt like it until Tuesday’s downpour. This weekend, the forecast calls for more rain starting on Saturday and continuing through next week. If you plan to attend either of the outdoor events we’re featuring this week, be sure to check first for any potential rescheduling or cancellations.

If you have an event that you’d like me to consider for this roundup, email me at azucena@oaklandside.org. If there’s an event that you’d like to promote on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form anytime by clicking on our homepage’s “Events” tab. 

Que Vivan los Muertos: EastSide Community Procession and Art Festival

A scene from the Day of the Dead festival on Fruitvale. Credit: Emma Garcia

EatSide Arts Alliance and Cultural Center in the San Antonio Park neighborhood has a series of events to commemorate Day of the Dead. The first will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2, with a community procession to honor the ancestors, followed by food and live music. Wednesday’s event will also kick off a series of community art festivals with live music from different performers, taking place over the next two weekends. The events are all being presented by EastSide Arts Alliance and NAKA Dance Theater.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., free to attend, EastSide’s garage lot, 2310 E. 12th St.

‘Drinking and Dragons’ at The New Parkway

The New Parkway Theater offers free social activities nightly in its mezzanine area, including bingo, art, karaoke, and trivia. The latest addition is “Drinking and Dragons,” which takes place on Wednesdays. Visitors can enjoy a beer while playing Dungeons and Dragons, a tabletop role-playing fantasy game in which players develop characters and are led on a quest or series of adventures by another player known as the Dungeon Master.

Every Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., free to attend, The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St.

Book Launch: It Takes A Village: Tiny Houses, Big Voices

Some 1,400 volunteers have worked on the tiny house village over the past few years, according to Youth Spirit Artworks. Credit: Pete Rosos

In August 2020, Youth Spirit Artworks, a Berkeley-based arts and job-training program for homeless and low-income youth, created the Tiny House Empowerment Village, a transitional housing program for unhoused young adults ages 18-25 located near the Oakland Coliseum. The housing opened in February 2021, and that summer, local artist Zoe Mosko began facilitating a writing group with the residents on the belief that everyone has a story to tell and that sharing them could further forge a sense of community. Now, the group’s writings are being published in one volume titled, It Takes A Village: Tiny Houses, Big Voices. This Friday, the group will celebrate with a book launch party. Attendees will have a chance to purchase the book and have it signed by the authors, listen to music, enjoy food, and participate in community acknowledgments.

Friday, Nov. 4, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free to attend, 633 Hegenberger Road 

Whiplash interactive exhibit at OSA

Students setting up the ‘Whiplash’ exhibit. Credit: Mia Dean

Each fall, students in the production design program at the Oakland School for the Arts’ create an interactive public exhibit. This year, the exhibit is inspired by the creations of Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe, NM-based arts and entertainment company that specializes in immersive and interactive storytelling installations. Whiplash is a thought-provoking exhibit that invites viewers to explore human emotion in an interactive environment. The exhibit consists of eight rooms that the students have built in the school’s Black Box Theatre. 

Thursday, Nov. 3 through Saturday, Nov. 5, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., tickets available at the door, under 18 $5, adults $8, Oakland School for the Arts Black Box Theatre, 530 19th St.

Park renaming to honor Wilma Chan

Vigil for the victims of the Atlanta spa shooting organized by Oakland Rising at Madison Park in Chinatown. Credit: Amir Aziz

Community members will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the passing of Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan by renaming Madison Park in downtown Oakland in her honor.  The renaming of the site as Wilma Chan Park also coincides with the debut of significant park improvements such as new signage, lighting, and playground upgrades. The renaming ceremony will honor Chan’s legacy and contributions to Oakland and the East Bay’s AAPI communities.

Friday, Nov. 4, 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., free to attend, Wilma Chan Park, formerly Madison Park, 810 Jackson St.

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Azucena Rasilla is a bilingual journalist from East Oakland reporting in Spanish and in English, and a longtime reporter on Oakland arts, culture and community. As an independent local journalist, she has reported for KQED Arts, The Bold Italic, Zora and The San Francisco Chronicle. She was a writer and social media editor for the East Bay Express, helping readers navigate Oakland’s rich artistic and creative landscapes through a wide range of innovative digital approaches.