Pride is back and it’s in Oakland!

This weekend, the hottest ticket in the East Bay is a $5 ticket for the Oakland Pride Festival on September 5.

Featuring the vocalizations of soul divas, including superstar Chaka Khan, Martha Wash, God-Des and She and Yo-Yo, the entertainment lineup will feature 60 acts on 5 stages. The East Bay LGBTQ community’s ethnic diversity and family orientation will be celebrated with food booths and exhibits.

The Pride festival, held traditionally on Labor Day weekend, was replaced in recent years by the Art & Soul Festival.  However, with Art & Soul held earlier in August, a Labor Day weekend Pride celebration returns to Oakland this Sunday from noon to six pm. A review in the East Bay Express attributed credit for this year’s fest to the presence of Rebecca Kaplan on the Oakland City Council.

The event will be held near 19th Street & Franklin Street (exit 19th St. BART Station) in Oakland’s Uptown district.

Oakland Pride Festival-goers can express their "ever-lasting love" with Miss Chaka Khan on Sunday, September 5

Joe Hawkins, organizer of the 2010 Festival, will be the featured guest on tomorrow’s OaklandSeen radio program, 8:00 am on KPFA-FM radio, 94.1 or kpfa.com.  [Related story on OaklandSeen: Joe Hawkins: Chair of Oakland Pride.]

“It is the mission of Oakland Pride to celebrate the cultures and diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer ( LGBTQ) community in Oakland and the East Bay. We are dedicated to educating the greater community, promoting equality, civic involvement and responsibility within Oakland and neighboring communities. Oakland Pride is committed to facilitating leadership and coalition building for the funding and development of the first LGBTQ community center in Oakland for everyone.”