Right when we thought that the weather was turning around, Mother Nature had other plans. After what looked like a hot start to spring, scattered rain is expected throughout the week. We’ll have a break on Friday and Sunday, which is when four of the events featured this week are taking place.
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 on our events page.
Un cumbiazo sabroso Cinco de Mayo fiesta
Odin Mezcalería, the restaurant and mezcal spot that opened last May, will be transforming into a dance floor just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The event will feature music by DJs Bobby Cosmos and Sounds of Paradise. Tacos and small bites will be available to purchase. If you can’t catch the party, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a happy hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, May 5, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., free to attend, 444 Oak St.
Oakland First Fridays
For this month’s theme, the Uptown street festival on Telegraph Avenue is honoring Latinx culture. Besides lots of food vendors and artists, the festival is bringing Latinx music to the main stage. DJ Juan “Wonway Posibul” Amador will be behind the ones and twos, and cumbia band Los Alegres Callejeroswill also be on stage. The weather forecast currently shows no rain for Friday. But dress warm, and wear your dancing shoes.
Friday, May 5, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., free to attend, donations encouraged, Telegraph Avenue (between 22nd and 27th Streets)
Rainbow Dances
The Oakland Ballet’s season is coming to an end, but not before putting on one last show: Rainbow Dances, a celebration of LGBTQ+ choreographers. The performance will feature seven short works, including four world premieres by former and current dancers, and the ballet’s artistic director, Graham Lustig. East Bay drag queens Dextra Denovo and Vicky Sparkletitz will host. All performances will take place at Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center at Laney College.
Friday, May 5, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 6, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 7, 2:30 p.m., $15-$30, 900 Fallon St.
AfterGlow Chorus presents Crazy Love: Agony & Ecstasy
Love and heartbreak are two emotions that have been expressed in music for as long as melodies have existed. The AfterGlow Chorus, a local group of 40 singers, will perform a setlist that conveys these very themes. Creep by Radiohead, Madness by Muse, and Hurt by Eric Whitacre (a fantastic, powerful arrangement of the classic Nine Inch Nails song) are some of the songs that will be performed.
Sunday, May 7, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., $20-$35, Church of All Faiths, 2100 5th Ave.
Let’s Get Social: an East Bay Photo Collective meetup
The East Bay Photo Collective was started by a group of photographers from the San Francisco Bay Area whose mission is to “provide facilities, education, inspiration, and community to East Bay photographers, including those who are under-served or lack access to a creative community.” The team has been putting together exhibits, and their latest, called WOMAN, opens this Friday, May 5. The exhibit explores the complexities of womanhood and femininity beyond the confines of assigned sex, age, or location. In addition to exhibits, the collective also hosts social meetups that provide an opportunity for local photographers to mingle and network. The next one takes place next Monday.
Monday, May 8, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., free to attend, Telegraph Beer Garden, 2318 Telegraph Ave.
