ABOUT | Oaklash

WHAT THE FUCK IS OAKLASH?

Oaklash a weekend-long festival of drag and other queer performance that takes place annually in Oakland, California.

Founded by Beatrix LaHaine and Mama Celeste in 2018, the first Oaklash festival featured over 50 performers from Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose and has now featured hundreds performers from the Bay Area and beyond.

Oaklash is dedicated to building new and ever-expanding stages to showcase & elevate Bay Area queer talent. Our programming aims to create safe and welcoming environments that not only accept but celebrate members of the queer community, especially queer and trans people of color. Our organization was created to showcase performances that are boundary pushing, provocative, and unique to the sensibility of the Bay Area. We aim to stay true to the history of Oakland as a home to creative renaissance rooted in diversity. We hope that by amplifying and supporting the queer art community in the Bay Area, we can emphasize the need for investment in the arts in the face of systemic racism, growing economic disparities, and the Bay Area housing crisis.

Here's What People Are Saying About Oaklash

Lashing Out: Oaklash Drag Fest Reaches New Heights with Pandemic Performances

East Bay Express - 2020

Drag Performers Champion Anti-Racism, Disability Justice at Oaklash

KQED Arts - 2020

Grab that virtual wig, it’s all aboard for Oaklash!

48 Hills - 2020

‘Queens, kings and queers’ learn how to navigate the digital world for Oaklash 2020

Bay City News Foundation - 2020

Oaklash delivers deliciously deviant drag

Bay Area Reporter - 2020

Oaklash Goes Digital and Now More People Can Enjoy Drag