Oakland Running Festival

The festival that launched downtown Oakland's transformation as the Bay Area's hottest dining and arts scene, Art & Soul Oakland will sizzle this year with two art- and music-packed days featuring live jazz, rock, gospel, E.D.M., punk, honky-tonk, metal, world, Latin, folk, R&B, and blues music performed by national recording artists and top local talent.

This year's event also features late-night hours on Saturday; epic scales of art installations, film projections, and light-based art from local artists including de Young Museum artist fellows and artist-in-residence alumni, American Steel, and others; hundreds of artisan booths; gourmet global cuisine and mobile food trucks; and for kids, carnival rides, music, art activities and costumed characters.

Easy to get to and fun for all, the 12th annual Art & Soul Oakland offers direct access via public transit in addition to free parking for cars and bikes.

New expanded hours for 2012!
Saturday, August 4: 2pm to Midnight
Sunday, August 5: Noon to 6pm
Entrance gates close 1/2 hour before close of festival

Same great value! Ticket prices will be:
Advance online: $10 adults; $5 seniors (65 and older) & youth (13-17)
At the Gate: $15 adults; $8 seniors & youth
Children 12 & under enjoy free admission

To learn more about this year's exciting musical lineup, please visit the lineup page.

Chris   

It's been a while hasn't it?  I hope you're fully recovered from the 2012 event and I know many of you are gearing up to run one of the several other races throughout the Bay Area this summer and fall.  I will be at many of them promoting the 2013 Oakland Running Festival set for March 24, 2013.  We look forward to hosting you as we enter year 4 of our event that showcases the very best of Oakland.  

Registration for the 2013 event opens July 27 at noon in conjunction with the San Francisco Marathon Expo. Stop by our booth and save up to 40% off next year's registration plus get a shirt from the 2011 or 2012 event (quantities and sizes are limited).  

With the opening of registration we wanted to make you aware of some items.  

• Prices are the same as they were last year. We know there are many choices out there and we want to make it affordable for you to participate in our event. Our only single person event in triple digits is the marathon and that's if you wait until November to register.
• We have switched registration companies so don't be alarmed when you click on the link and it does not look familiar  We hope this change will better serve you and should make it easier to handle the relay registrations.
• Many of our female runners asked to have the option of picking a men's shirt because they like the cut better, this year that option will be available.
• If you are part of a running club (LMJS, WOW, PacWest, etc.) please check the appropriate box on the registration screen so you can be included in our Running Club Challenge for 2013.
• The course will essentially stay the same as last year. We are working with the city to make the run around Lake Merritt a little less crowded.  

In case you want to relive the great time you had in 2012, be sure to check out this highlight video.

As always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, as we will be doing some giveaways soon to mark the opening of registration.  

To those running this weekend - Good Luck.  

Gene Brtalik

Oakland Race Director