Oakland is preparing for a busy 2026, with several new attractions, events, and openings planned throughout the year. The city will host activities connected to major sporting events, including Super Bowl LX and the FIFA World Cup, as well as celebrate local culinary growth and community traditions.
Pickle Athletics has opened as Oakland’s first indoor social pickleball club. The facility offers courts for booking, a café, sauna, fitness amenities, wine service, and special event programming.
During Super Bowl week in February 2026, Oakland will host the Divine 9 & HBCU Flag Football Classic at Laney College on February 6. According to organizers: “This free, family friendly event brings together food, fun, music, culture, and the vibrant spirit of the Divine 9 and Historically Black Colleges and Universities for an unforgettable afternoon of pride and community connection.” Free tickets are available through Visit Oakland.
For those not attending Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium—located about 40 minutes from Oakland—the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) is organizing BAHC Live! Oakland Fan Zone. This official watch party takes place on February 8 at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering a public celebration of the game for East Bay residents.
In June 2026 during the FIFA World Cup matches held nearby at Levi’s Stadium, official FIFA events will take place in Oakland alongside special restaurant and hotel offers. Organizers encourage visitors to experience local cuisine and culture while attending these festivities.
Several new restaurants are opening or returning to Oakland this year. Reem’s California is reopening its flagship bakery in Jack London Square this spring with a worker-owned café model. Flour + Water Pizza Shop plans to open early in the year at The Lark Uptown on Harrison Street; it will feature West Coast-style pizzas by chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow. Chef Rashad Armstead is launching Saints Smokehouse downtown in February with comfort food and barbecue offerings.
Real Cutie Pies has recently opened on 17th Street specializing in individually sized desserts called Cutie Pies with weekly rotating flavors that include vegan options.
Oakland Restaurant Week returns March 12–22 with more than 165 participating establishments offering lunch and dinner specials across diverse venues such as food trucks and Michelin-starred restaurants. “Oakland Restaurant Week is about celebrating Oakland’s diverse collection of restaurants and the talented chefs that give the #1 Best Food City in the U.S. its vibrancy,” according to organizers.
Community workshops are also part of this year’s offerings: Teas With Meaning hosts biweekly Create Your Own Tea Blend Workshops across various locations; Preserved Culinary Workshops provides hands-on classes focused on preservation techniques like bread baking or pickling along with free Friday community events throughout Rockridge.
The Black Panther Party Museum marks its 60th anniversary under the theme “Resistance, Resilience and Survival,” featuring two major exhibitions plus smaller installations highlighting original documents from Party archives: “At the cornerstone of the Museum’s programming will be conversations with veteran Panthers, movement elders, scholars, artists, and organizers…”
West Edge Opera presents its Summer Opera Festival August 1–16 at Lake Merritt’s Scottish Rites Center with performances including Britten’s Turn of the Screw; Handel’s Rinaldo; Geter’s American Apollo conducted by Kedrick Armstrong.
Oakland STYLE returns October 8–12 as a five-day festival spotlighting art, fashion competitions—including mixology contests—dinners paired with runway shows at venues like Claremont Club & Spa plus block parties featuring live music.
Alaska Airlines expands operations at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport beginning April 22 by adding four daily nonstop flights between OAK and San Diego International Airport using Embraer E175 aircraft—a move expected to improve connectivity between Northern California cities.
Visit Oakland continues promoting tourism through complimentary services for travelers interested in exploring what they describe as “the eighth largest city in California.” More information can be found at visitoakland.com or by following @visitoakland on social media platforms.
