Black Joy Parade

We were on the ground this year, looking for some of the best dressed people at this year’s Black Joy Parade. 👀📸 These are just a FEW of our favorite styles we saw in the Oakland streets. See someone you know? Tag them below! 📸 - @_djkream #blackjoyparade

Y’all - we’re stepping up our game this year. 😎 Every year we sell merch at The Black Joy Parade and this year was no different - except for the fact you cleaned us OUT! So for the first time - you can now buy #blackjoyparade merch online! Link in our bio to grab before it’s gone. 👆🏽

Allow us to re-introduce ourselves. 👋🏾 As our social media community grows - we want to remind you what we’re all about! This Sunday, February 22, 2026 - join us for the 9th Annual Black Joy Parade. A parade and festival celebrating Black culture and community. Located in Downtown Oakland - parade starts at 12:30pm and our festival runs till 7pm. Footprint map coming soon. #blackjoyparade #blackjoy #oakland #bayareaevents #oaklandevents #bayarea #sf #livemusic

You don’t have to do it alone and these three are living proof. 🙌🏾✨ Blueprint: Building Your Team is our panel discussion designed for event creators and solo operators who are ready to grow, collaborate, and scale without losing the heart of what they’ve built. We’re bringing together three of the Bay’s most iconic community builders to share their real stories on finding the right partners, splitting responsibilities, and making collabs actually work. 🖤 **Amber Lester,** @blackjoyparade 🧶**Jenny Baquing,** @jennyandcabbage 🎶 **Vicky Servin,** @baddiesybanda Expect honest insights, real talk, and practical takeaways you can actually use. 📅 Thursday, May 28th ⏰ 6:00PM – 9:00PM 📍 Cousins Studio @cousinstudio_ , San Francisco 🎟 Link in bio to RSVP This one is for the builders. See you there. 💌 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’re new here, hello! We’re That Art Party, a Bay Area-based creative wellness collective making space for BIPOC folks to heal, play, and connect through art. We host low-pressure, joy-filled events that are all about creative expression, cultural celebration, and community care. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just looking for a little creative joy, you’re welcome here.

#BlackJoy in community looks like…👀🖤🪩 Keep your eyes peeled as we activate for a #BlackJoyParade summer! 🥃👏🏽 We can’t wait to spread joy in the town with you soon. 📸 - @sabrinassellers #oakland

Black Joy Parade year 9 would not have been complete without our friends over at Tito's. Thank you again for the love, and to Tito's for their continued support of the Black Joy Parade. #sponsor

Why do you volunteer for the Black Joy Parade? 👀👇🏽 Shoutout to 3-time volunteer Mercedes for coming back again to represent The Town & bringing good energy time and time again to the parade! 🫶🏽✨ 📸 - @zaymonae #blackjoyparade #blackjoy #oakland

This parade season we introduced the Black Joy Parade Cigar Lounge. 💨 A place for grown folks to chill, indulge and support local businesses. Did you have a chance to check out the Cigar Lounge this year? Let us know! 👇🏽 📸 - @zaymonae #blackjoyparade #blackjoy

What would your answer be? 👀🗣️ Tell us below! 👇🏽 What is uniquely Oakland about Black Joy Parade? #oakland #blackjoy #blackjoyparade

A hug from @_djkream made all our days that much brighter this year. ☀️♥️ Black Joy Parade is put on and produced by a VOLUNTEER RAN TEAM! Can you believe it? We’re really out here y’all! 💅🏽🤭 Shoutout to our team + the volunteers and friends who make everything possible. We can’t wait for what’s next! 👀🫶🏽 #blackjoyparade #blackjoy #oakland

✨ We celebrated our 2026 Icons Among Us honorees in true Black Joy Parade fashion. Alongside our partners at @comcast , we honored three extraordinary leaders whose work uplifts the Bay Area and beyond: 🌼 Brandon Nicholson — CEO of The Hidden Genius Project (@hiddengeniuspro ) 🌼 Dr. Amelia Ashley-Ward — Publisher of The Sun-Reporter (@thesunreporter1944 ) 🌼 Faye Carol — Founder of School of the Get Down (@thedynamicmiss ) Each of these icons shows up for their community every day — from the arts to the newsroom to the boardroom — shaping a future rooted in equity, culture, and opportunity. We were also honored to have Oakland’s own @mayorbarbaralee join us at the ceremony to share words of encouragement for this year’s honorees. And when these icons took the Black Joy Parade stage, the community showed up with thunderous applause and love. As our founder Elisha Greenwell (@leeshag ) says: “They’ve been doing the work for racial justice and equity for our community and our people. Why do we wait until they’re gone to celebrate them? That’s why it’s called Icons Among Us.” Because our legends are not just history. They’re walking among us. ✨ #BlackJoyParade #IconsAmongUs #OaklandLove 🎥: @techboogie 👩🏽‍💻: @youthbeatmedia

God is good and all the time God is Good! A lot of us grew up in the church. Black church is culture that’s distinct. If you ran through the church hallways with your friends at vacation bible study, ate a piece of candy from an an elders never ending purse, or drink some ice tea so sweet it made you squint… you know what we mean. The black church is a precious to black culture as a geisha is to Japan. Glamours hats, usher men and woman and of course… the choir. We’ve been wanting to do something with a gospel choir FOREVERRRR 🥹. Last month Gold Beams produced Total Praise in partnership with the @blackjoyparade , @oaklandmuseumca and the phenomenal @blackjoychoir founded by Black Joy Parade co-founder Amber Lester and led by Rusty Watson. The event also doubled as the ABC premier of a segment of the Black Joy Choir. Needless to say, we sold out the Oakland Museums 200 seat James Moore Theater and had a wonderful conversation with legendary women!!!!!!! - Tanisha Walton, Campus Pastor at The Way Christian Center and Founder of Collabheration LLC - Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A Thompson, Senior Pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church - And of course Amber Lester The conversation was moderated by Gold Beams founder @beammeuptayleur and we talked about the through line between Black church, Black Culture and Black Joy. That Black Joy Choir though?????? Check em out! . #church #sundayservice #choir #sundaysbest