Oaktoberfest in the Dimond

Oktoberfest Fruitvale-MacArthur today variety of food today three stages of music very crowded. Lots of breweries. Also, a lot of booze really big this year.

This is my second year attend the oaktoberfest in the dimond and it's always fun. For $25 you get a souvenir mug and 4 drink tickets. Not a bad deal since most vendors give you a 3 finger sampling pour before you commit. Don't be suckered into buying tickets online. It's not worth the inconvenience fee and the lines aren't that long. It's a great neighborhood event if you live in the area. The local library and shops attend so you can get to know what's available. Oakland recycles, bart, dimond library, and state farm were represented. It's nice to have beer vendors from all over. Some came from livermore to mendocino including the local ones. There's a little of everything for those with particular palettes--blondie, ales, cider, lagers and stouts.I'm all for ciders and Gowan's Herloom cider is always a hit. Food vendor lines were definitely moving a long. I can't stand those lines that make you wait forever because they can't be efficient. There were also good local vendor representation literally from the street they reside on. Festival is free to attend, just pay for the things you want to eat and drink. One stinker is some of the vendors started running out of some or their lines and it was only 2pm!

Came an hour before closing on the first of two days in 2022. The parking can be tough but it's expected for that area, definitely get the first spot you see as you're driving in if it's less than a 8-10 minute walk (there is a commuter lot next to the nearby Farmer Joe's that is worth checking out). It was our first time attending so unsure of how it compares to other years, but this is a full on street festival with plenty of food, beer, and things to buy (there were stages for performances, but those finished up before we arrived). We got two take-home mugs and four total drink tickets for $31, which is pretty great since it came out to $8/pint (note that you have to purchase a mug to drink in). There are probably about a dozen brewers' stations that each have a handful of things on tap, including a hard kombucha spot that was quite delicious. The highlight was the Dokkaebier stand which had some very different offerings from the rest, which was mostly IPA and lager-centric. There are a couple of areas to sit if you want to relax with your food and drink instead of walking around the whole time. Some of the businesses on these streets (e.g., Dimond Slice Pizza) are also open and don't mind you walking in with your pint. Definitely worth checking out if you're into beer or just enjoy this kind of vibe.

Fun times at Oaktoberfest! If you're a beer and/or cider lover, I would definitely recommend a visit to this festival! This was my first time ever attending Oaktoberfest and I had a really fun time overall. The festival is free to attend, but you must purchase a glass and tasting tickets to participate in the beer/cider/wine tastings. They have a few different ticket options, but I purchased the $20 ticket which included a beer mug and four 12 oz beer tasting tickets. To be honest, this is probably the best value if you're a semi-beer drinker. What's great is that the majority of the booths will let you sample the beer before you decide if you want to use your ticket. Let me just say, many of the breweries were quite generous with their "samples". You could literally just sample beers from all of the booths and you'd probably get toasted just from that! For someone like myself who isn't a big beer drinker, those 4 drink tickets were plenty! I actually ended up giving my last ticket to my friend for a wine glass. We met some nice people who bought the unlimited pass, and they donated a full pour of cider to me! So in the end, it all worked out. I would NOT recommend coming here to do any wine tasting. The wine glasses are hella tiny and they have a very limited selection of wine available to taste. If you're not into beer, they also have several hard cider booths available! I thought the cider selections were great and I ended up using a few of my tickets for full cider pours. If you have kids, there's a cute kids play area to keep them occupied. There's a good amount of food options too, but you should expect them to be overpriced. I had a corn dog when I first got there and then later on, I got a revuelta pupusa and a pork tamale from the Tamales Martha stand. Both were delicious but pretty pricey. My friend got garlic fries, an ice box lemon pie, and we split a strawberry funnel cake. You gotta go ALL in at these festivals! Eat and drink like a piggy with no regrets, people!If you like handcrafted jewelry and clothing, there are several booths with handmade items for sale. They had a whole section dedicated to marijuana products from creams to gelato. Yep, you heard me right! Lots of vendors and the live entertainment was fun! They had two stages with live performances from open until close. We arrived to the festival around noonish and didn't leave until 6 pm! I was surprised that we even lasted that long, but it was fun! By around 5 o'clock, some of the beer booths ran out of beer completely. I would definitely recommend that you came early or you'll run the risk of missing out on some of the selections. It started to get crowded around 4 pm, but it wasn't overly crowded. Parking is horrible! I ended up parking a half mile away on a residential street and just walked. If you can take public transit or get dropped off, it would be easier and quicker. All in all, I had a great time and enjoyed being able to sample different beers and ciders. This isn't a festival that I would attend every year, but maybe every other year. Looking forward to attending again in the future.

More like 3.5 stars!! This was my first time attending the Oaktoberfest. First things first, parking is a nightmare, but I knew it would be tight, it's tight in the Dimond District on normal days, so that took some doing.The beer tasting thing is cool if you love beer like that. But even if you're not a big drinker, the stage shows are good. There's a lot of talent and originality in Oakland and the Bay Area, the Festivals in Oakland almost always bring that out. Very crowded, but a cool crowd, and another good Bay Area Festival!!

What a great event! I had been several years ago and it was rather lame and not very well put together...jammed beer tent and just not pleasant or much variety.But now, WOW, what a change! Lots of great booths, food, beer, and just a fun atmosphere. And it is expanded in area too. Many families and a jovial crowd of folks just out to enjoy being outdoors. Plus the entertainment, top notch.I especially enjoyed the Deutsche Musikverein. So wonderful to hear a broad selection of polka and contemporary stuff too. Being of Bavarian ancestry it warmed my inner senses. In a matter of fact I was sending messages and pics of them to folks at the actual Munich Oktoberfest while they returned pics of them there...OK, they truly got us beat in the scale of atmosphere.However it put ours out there on the international map too!I had a really delicious tasty Bratwurst and although I wished for more authentic German selections of food, it was satisfying nonetheless.Definitely going back next year.Such relaxed fun.Go!

I absolutely loved it here!My husband and I randomly stumbled upon this place while being in Oakland, we found a park and joined the fun!It was lots of people here, and lots of vendors. The food was endless from shrimp burritos, empanadas, fried fish and chicken, lobster fries, organic soaps, clothing vendors I mean you name it. They had music blasting and bars almost on every corner it felt like. I like how they distribute beer, you pay 25 dollars for two jugs and it comes with 5 tickets so instead of paying for beer at each station you just give them a ticket! And the first one was on the house! Pretty cool. We had a great time and was introduced to some great restaurants. Will be back next year.

Attended the Sunday with the unlimited option. I love the venue. I have been coming to this event for years, and I always love the people and the vibe. This year's vendors were top-notch. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in making this event super.

I love Volunteering at the festival. My daughter and my 3rd time volunteering. My only concern Mike the cornitator should be A lot More Kinder. He isn't very friendly. He needs to learn to speak to people as, adults not as if their his child! I tried to speak to him he elevated his voice. I'm volunteering have more respect! I will diffantly be emailing him! Other than that the festival is FANTASTIC! You will not be disappointed at all. It is so much fun great entertainment,root beer floats for children. All kind of beers,wines foods etc.

This was my first time attending the Oaktoberfest and it was a hot sunny day when I attended. I mainly came to see the entertainment on the main stage and there were plenty of seats to sit and watch the performance. I got to see two of my favorite groups, Namorados Da Lua and Batala SF! After the shows, I looked around the festival but it was a bit hot and I hope next year that I will bring a friend to join me so I can drink and not worry about driving home.