"Oakland First Fridays faces a precarious future, festival organizers said, thanks to a media “misrepresentation” linking after hours, off-site downtown violence to the festival. That false narrative, festival coordinator Venessa McGhee told The Oaklandside, has contributed to sponsors pulling out and a struggle to secure sustainable funding."
"The event, which began as a casual and unsanctioned gathering of artists in 2006, became a formal permitted event in 2012 when then Koreatown Northgate Community Benefits District, known as KONO, took it over. Since its inception, Oakland First Fridays have been a festival to gather the community and give the opportunity for artists and vendors to showcase their work. Over the years, coverage has long associated the festival with incidents of violence that take place in other downtown locations or long after the festival wraps up for the night."
"In the fall of 2023, festival organizers decided to place the monthly event on a winter hiatus from January to March, citing higher production costs, fewer vendors, and unpredictable weather that risked driving down crowds. In 2025, the March edition made a comeback. McGhee said every sponsorship is different. Some companies, she said, sponsor a single date as a one-off, others give a lump sum that can be split throughout the year, and still others fund it for half a year."
"When the festival began its 2026 run in March, sponsors included Becker Boards, LLC, and OUTFRONT Media - two companies that have billboard deals with the city - as well as Orange Barrel Media, a digital advertising firm whose sister company IKE Smart City has a contract with the city. They've also included the tech giant Airbnb and Oakland restaurant TODOS Cantina. “We've had sponsors tell us flat out they didn't want to be associated with a party i"
Oakland First Fridays faces a precarious future as organizers say media misrepresentation has falsely connected after-hours downtown violence to the festival. Organizers report that this narrative has contributed to sponsors pulling out and made sustainable funding harder to secure. The event began in 2006 as an informal artist gathering and became a permitted event in 2012 when KONO took it over. Coverage has repeatedly associated the festival with incidents that occur elsewhere downtown or after the event ends. Organizers placed the monthly event on a winter hiatus from January to March in 2023 due to higher production costs, fewer vendors, and unpredictable weather. The March edition returned in 2025, and sponsors for 2026 include multiple advertising and local business partners as well as Airbnb and TODOS Cantina.
Read at The Oaklandside
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