Oakland First Fridays seeks sponsors as funding challenges force entertainment cuts

The lack of sponsorship is already impacting Oakland First Fridays.

On Friday night, the main stage for entertainment was canceled. It's not what organizers wanted, but there was a sign of renewed partnership with the city to keep the event going for years to come.

Vendors and musical acts lined Telegraph Avenue for another edition of Oakland First Fridays. Justin Ford started setting up shop at this event in 2015.

"For my business, this has been a really big platform to allow us to introduce ourselves to Oakland," Ford said. "It's been a springboard for us to have continued success in Oakland and that's probably the reason why I still come down here to celebrate First Friday. I consider it home."

Now, Ford has a brick-and-mortar business to showcase his Oakland's Own fashion line. It's a way for him to support his family and be a role model for his 12-year-old son.

"I'm making a better example for him," he said. "First Fridays allows us to accomplish that. He can see us run our business, meet people, and just have a wonderful time out here."

But recent violence after First Fridays has cast a dark shadow on this event. A shooting in March killed two people at a nearby bar, hours after the event ended. On Friday night, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee walked down Telegraph with First Friday Director Venessa McGhee. The mayor has implemented street closures, parking enforcement and deployed more police officers to the area to improve safety.

"We don't tolerate violence anytime, anyplace, anywhere," Mayor Lee said. "So, we put together an all-hands-on-deck city strategy, a safety plan that includes voices from our young people, OPD, Department of Violence Prevention."

Event organizers are grateful for the city's support, but they would like the city to do more. Mayor Lee says it is a priority to keep First Fridays going here in the town.

"We always want to do more but this is a pilot right now," she said. "We're trying to make sure it's working or if we have to tweak it. But we want to do more because we want First Fridays to survive and thrive and we want residents to come and have a good time. We want our businesses to not just survive but to thrive. So, we're going to do everything we can do as a city."

Between a town hall this week and improved safety measures, McGhee is feeling positive about the partnership with the city. First Fridays, though, need sponsorships and money to flow back into the event.

"The heartbeat is still there, but essentially we really need the funding," Director Venessa McGhee said. "That's the biggest thing. We need people to put their money where their mouth is. We hear a lot of people talk about how they support the event, love the event, they want to see it continue to grow, but we need to see dollars in the buckets."

Vendors like Justin Ford would love to see First Fridays continue for years to come. He says this is a wonderful community gathering and it's unfair to blame this event for the violence.

"I don't believe the sole ownership of that lands on First Friday," he said. "Without this event, we would still have difficulties in Oakland."