DeFremery Park
18th & Adeline
Oakland
blackcowboyassociation.com
Oakland Black Cowboy Parade & Festival is hosted by the Oakland Black Cowboy Association.
Join the fun at a Taste of the Old West as black cowboys ride though West Oakland. The Oakland Black Cowboy Association, a non-profit organization, has spent over three decades enlightening children and adults with the contributions of people of color in the settling of the West. The Black Cowboy Parade is held in memory of the black cowboys that helped to settle the American West has been an exciting historic part of Oakland.
This vision continues today with its annual parade and festival. People from all walks of life attend this one of a kind parade and festival which features nationwide cowboys, trick riders, schools community organizations, and local businesses.
The festival after the parade at DeFremery Park includes food, horse
& pony rides and entertainment and fun for the whole family.
Cowboy boots & cowboy hats are right in style at this event!
Each October the Oakland Black Cowboy Association hosts the Black Cowboy Parade and Festival honoring their sometimes overlooked roll in Western ranching. Little to no attention has been given by Hollywood to the black cowboys who made their mark in western history. Riders Bill Pickett, Stagecoach Mary, Nat Love and Bass Reeves were among the most famous. Even cities near Hollywood such as Pasadena and Riverside where black history parades and festivals are held, don't include black cowboys
African American film producer/director John Ferguson set out to document the black cowboy because of his personal experience, being told as a kid that he must play the role of a Native American in games of "cowboys & Indians" since black cowboys didn't exist.
"The worst thing was we couldn't dispute it, because there wasn't any evidence of black cowboys at the time, until now, thirty years later when I found a thriving African American cowboy culture..." says Feguson. The lasting memory from childhood motivated him to explore the untold history of African-American cowboys in a documentary, The Forgotten Cowboys.
For other fun events throughout the year, be sure to check out the holiday Lighted Yacht Parade, Nutcracker Ballet, Oakland Halloween events, Oktoberfest and the Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.