Music & Theater

Eli's Mile High Club: Once upon a time Eli's was one of Oakland's hottest blues nightspots featuring legends like Fillmore Slim and Bobbie Webb. Today's iteration of this West Oakland staple is more of a rock n' roll bar, but they still pay tribute to their roots with blues shows on Mondays. View the upcoming show list here. 

Flight Deck: The Flight Deck’s mission is to provide a home for multidisciplinary artists to present work, share resources and practice radical acts of imagination in the heart of downtown Oakland. They believe that the creation, exchange, and experience of art is central to a thriving economy and healthy city, and envision a local culture in which the arts are deeply rooted in everyone. In addition to housing several arts organizations, the space has a 99-seat theater. The Flight Deck is an enterprise of the theatre company Ragged Wing Ensemble

Fox Theater: In 2009, after being closed for 40 years, the Fox Theater reopened as a live music venue, art school, and restaurant. The $75 million restoration and bustling Uptown Oakland location made it an instant favorite among touring artists and fans. Check here to purchase tickets to upcoming concerts!

Oakland Metro Operahouse:  The Oakland Metro Operahouse is a black box theater and performing arts center located in Jack London Square.  The venue is a project of the Underworld Opera, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The organization's projects include: Oakland Opera Theater, The Oakland Metro Operahouse, Hoodslam, and Tourettes Without Regrets. View their upcoming event schedule here. 

Oakland Symphony: The Oakland Symphony, Youth Orchestra and Chorus bring together orchestral music, choral music and youth education to strengthen the Oakland/East Bay community by providing quality live performances, education for lifetime enrichment and the perpetuation of the performing arts.

Paramount Theater: When the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association purchased the Paramount in 1972 it was a run down building with an amazing history. Two blocks from The Fox, The Paramount opened in 1931, with many doubting that Downtown Oakland could support two theaters so close to each other. It soon became an ode to Art Deco and after an authentic remodel in 1973 the building was declared a National Historic Landmark. As one of the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere performing arts facilities, the Paramount hosts a year-round schedule of popular music concerts, variety shows, theatre, and - of course – movies.

The New Parish: The New Parish is a flexible venue with with bars, performance stages and an airy courtyard atrium, perfect for those warm spring days in Oakland. Musical performers range from heavy metal to underground hip-hop and a reggae show every Wednesday. The New Parish is a perfect representation of Oakland’s diversity shown by the performers they host throughout the week. So check their calendar and come by to experience the all the good vibes.

The Sound Room: The Sound Room is the home of Bay Area Jazz and Arts, Inc (BAJA). BAJA is a nonprofit organization that nurtures music, art, and creative ventures through live performance and educational programs. 

Ubuntu Theater Project: Ubuntu Theater Project provides incredible theater that inspires compassion. The name comes from the Zulu proverb that means "I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours." The project is a collection of artists that are committed to creating compelling works that unearth the human condition and unite diverse audiences through revelatory, heart-pounding theater. View their 2018 show schedule here. 

Woodminster Amphitheater: High in the Oakland Hills, with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding cities, is the beautiful 500-acre Joaquin Miller Park. The park is home to one of the only urban second-growth redwood groves in existence, as well as miles of trails, picnic grounds, and a WPA-era art deco construction that includes pools, cascades, and the Woodminster Amphitheater. Over the last 50 years, the organization has presented 157 productions, entertaining about a million Woodminster Summer Musicals ticket holders. View their 2018 Summer calendar here. 

Yoshi's:  Yoshi’s began in 1972 as a small, North Berkeley sushi bar owned by founder and namesake, Yoshie Akiba. Over the next 40 years, Yoshi’s built itself into one of the world’s most respected jazz venues, earning a reputation as the Bay Area’s premier location for great Japanese cuisine and jazz music. Today, Yoshi’s is an award-winning 310-seat live performance venue with a state-of-the-art sound system and design, occupying 17,000 square feet in the heart of Oakland’s Jack London Square.