26th Annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival - Culture is OUR weapon in the Freedom Struggle!
San Antonio Park, Oakland • FREE to the community
Saturday, May 16, 2026
11:00 - 7:00 PM
Celebrating Community in San Antonio Park, Oakland
FREE to the community
Saturday, May 16, 2026
11:00 - 7:00 PM
Check out vintage Malcolm X Jazz Festival Footage!
Twenty five years ago, EastSide Arts Alliance set out to create a Third World Cultural Center to serve and unite the Black, Brown, Asian & Indigenous communities that compose East Oakland. EastSide began as a progressive fusion of cultural collectives of color which organized a steady stream of art programs, town hall forums, youth workshops, and visual exhibitions at the EastSide Cultural Center (now including a Third World archives and bookstore). We also deliberately gathered our respective communities to celebrate at an annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival at San Antonio Park.
Uniting nationally celebrated jazz artists, cultural workers, and local creatives for a full day of live jazz, Hip Hop, Spoken Word art, food, and liberation in the heart of East Oakland.
Join us in celebrating 25 years of revolutionary culture and decades-long commitment to culture as a tool for liberation.
By investing in community-rooted art, EastSide continues to elevate Oakland’s creative ecosystem and honor the revolutionary legacy of Black and Brown organizing. This is Oakland at its finest.
WHAT: 26th Annual Malcolm X Jazz+Arts Festival
WHEN: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 11am-7pm
WHERE: San Antonio Park, 1701 E 19th St, Oakland, CA 94606
The day will feature:
Jazz Stage
TBD
Belafonte KidZone
Activities offered by Afro Play, Oakland Public Library, and others
Javad Jahi Soapbox Stage
Bay Area poets, organizers, and culture workers speak out on local and international issues and campaigns
Katherine Dunham Dance Stage
TBD
Zumbi Court
Dj's • emcees • dance cyphers • battles
Vendors & Organizations
Artisan Gallery featuring local artists and craftfolk
Local community organizations
Wellness Zone
Practitioners providing wellness modalities for free to our community.
Food Court
International flavors of the Town!
Lastly, we are asking folks, who are able, to DONATE NOW to help ensure the Cultural Center is here to hold space for our communities. And please - EVERYONE help spread the word about how critical places like the EastSide Cultural Center are in helping communities cultivate trusting relationships and build community power. Long-time supporters should see themselves as AMBASSADORS of FRIENDRAISING -helping us let others know how important culture is right now! This is how we will be able to weather this storm and also be prepared and engaged in determining our futures.