What's Happening
Enjoy the summer sun and experience island fun at one of Alameda’s biggest and best events! The 34th Annual Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire will be loaded with art & craft vendors, mouth-watering festival foods, local craft beer and wine, live music on three stages, and two kids’ areas with games and carnival rides. Festival-goers will also enjoy a stroll in Alameda’s historic downtown district where many of the unique shops, restaurants, and services will be offering specials throughout the weekend.
When you combine our lovely weather, live music, refreshing libations, games and rides, and your favorite fair food all wrapped up in Alameda’s beautiful island surroundings, you have a must-attend event. The 34th Annual Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire has something for everyone and is FREE to attend. The fun happens July 28 & 29 from 10:00am to 6:00pm each day.
Each day offers nonstop live entertainment. Swingtown is coming all the way from Florida to perform a tribute to Steve Miller & Peter Frampton on Saturday starting at 1:00pm. Some of the Bay Area’s best tribute bands will also be here to get the crowds dancing in front of the stages. (view music schedule)
Thanks to Coconut Cay SkyJuice, the new acoustic Alameda Stage will be bursting with local music programmed by Alameda guitarist Jim Parodi. Catch performances by Alameda amatuer and professional musicians including solo artists Drew Harrison, Michael Barrett, and Paul Manousos, and bands Flunch and Wicked Lobstah. (more…)
Celebrate National Ice Cream Day in Downtown Alameda on Sunday, July 15.
National Ice Cream Day and National Ice Cream Month was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 9, 1984: “Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States. It enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack food.” (Presidential Proclamation 5219)
Although the proclamation was intended to be for one specific day, the celebration continues each year on the third Sunday of July.
It’s worth the trip to celebrate National Ice Cream Day in Downtown Alameda. The city’s oldest operating ice cream shop, Tucker’s Super-Creamed Ice Cream, started in 1941 using family recipes. Over the years, this favorite gathering place has been joined in Downtown Alameda by a variety of frozen yogurt and boba tea places.
Find frozen treats and milk teas at these downtown locations:
Ice Cream & Yogurt
Tucker’s Ice Cream, 1349 Park Street
Tuttimelon, 2402 Central Ave
Yogofina, 1335 Park Street
Milk Teas & Smoothies
i-Tea, 1606 Park Street
T4, 1431A Park Street
Tapioca Express, 2306 Encinal Avenue #B
The Beanery, 1650 Park Street
The Local, 1333 Park Street
Locally owned businesses make Downtown Alameda a better place. They help our community thrive and add to Alameda’s unique charm. To all of you business owners who have recently surpassed milestone anniversaries, we celebrate you!
30 Years:
Supercuts, 1329 Park Street
25 Years:
Corazon Z. Pangilinan & Associates, 1516 Oak Street #209
Kevin R. Kearney, CPA, 1516 Oak Street #207
20 Years:
Fort Knox, 1546 Park Street
15 Years:
Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, 1650 Park Street
Jamie Candelaria Greene, PhD, 2447 Santa Clara Ave #209
10 Years:
Alameda Theatre & Cineplex, 2317 Central Ave
Alameda Wine Company, 2315 Central Ave
Jack in the Box, 1257 Park Street
Jo Ann Nails & Hair, 1619 Park Street
Kevin Minney, Partner in Wellness, 2515 Santa Clara Ave #107
Park Barber Shop, 2326 Santa Clara Ave
5 Years: (more…)
Independence Day 2018
Get ready to have some fun in Downtown Alameda on July 4th.
The Mayor’s 4th of July Parade is one of the best Independence Day parades in the Bay Area. Spectators of all ages look forward to seeing a lively procession of vintage cars, hand-decorated flatbeds (“floats”), dancing horses, marching bands, dancing troupes, cheering squads, bicyclists, musicians, costumed characters, clowns, and surprises.
Since its inception in 1976, the annual parade has grown to boast over 160 “floats” and over 2,500 participants that travel along a 3.3 mile route across the island city, from Park Street on the east end to Webster Street on the west end.
The 2018 Grand Marshals are Pauline Kelly, former owner of Pauline’s Antiques, and Duane Watson, former owner of Lee Auto Supply. Both were longtime shop owners in Downtown Alameda before retiring this year.
For a front row seat along the Park Street sidewalks, plan to arrive well before the 10:00 am start time. The Mayor’s 4th of July parade attracts over 20,000 people and many of the spectators search out the best viewing spots in Downtown Alameda. (more…)

Shawn Livernoche installs the arcade’s lastest gaming console. (photo courtesy SF Chronicle)
Remember sitting in computer lab carefully weighing your rations, assessing the health of your oxen, and trying to get to the other side of the Snake River? You can now play the computer game Oregon Trail as an arcade machine. High Scores Arcade has reimagined the beloved circa 1974 educational game via a first-of-its-kind arcade cabinet playable to the public.
With hand-burnt wood construction, brushed copper finish metal work, and wagon-wheel inspired speaker grates, the game cabinet has been meticulously constructed by Denver, CO artist Sam Bahman under the direction of High Scores owners Shawn and Megan Livernoche. Adding to the original feel of the cabinet are hand-drawn and inked artwork for the game bezel, side art, and marquee created by Brighton, CO artist Brandon Hovet. The game also includes an IBM keyboard as the control interface, inviting the gamer to an authentic experience of playing some of PC gaming’s earliest adventure and text-based titles.
Players can select games via a user interface created by High Scores manager, Jonathan Williams. In addition to Oregon Trail, the multi-game cabinet offers arcade classics such as Lemonade Stand, Lode Runner, Prince of Persia, and DOOM. Also playable are a carefully curated collection of text-only adventures such as Colossal Cave Adventure and towering classics like ZORK. The system also dedicates some digital real estate to the adventure game powerhouse Sierra Online, featuring Mystery House, Kings Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry. (more…)