Watch CBS News

Oakland's Art & Soul Festival Celebrates Local Talent

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - The 12th Annual Art and Soul Festival in downtown Oakland kicked things off Saturday with a number of new additions. Focusing on homegrown talent, the two-day Art and Soul festival is the flagship event of Oakland, fueling the growth of downtown, according to city officials.

With a reputation as one of the Bay Area's best music festivals, the weekend event touts some of Oakland's best music, art and food, city officials said.

New attractions featured this year include burning man-style sculptures, turf dance and dance battles, local filmmaker screenings, Oakland-based food trucks, a community digital art project, and many more.

The festival, centered around Frank Ogawa Plaza, City Center and the surrounding streets, features music from 50 artists on five stages. Local artists include Luce, Lyrics Born, Meshell Ndegeocello, Souls of Mischief, Vocal Rush among others.

Since its inception in 2000, the festival has attracted 500,000 people, according to city officials.

Saturday's celebration began at 2:00pm and the party doesn't stop until midnight when DJ Dyloot, one of the Bay Area's top trance DJs, stops spinning records from his post on the roof of City Hall.

Learn about Oakland Art and Soul Festival at www.artandsouloakland.com.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.