Oakland Art and Soul Festival canceled this year due to city funding delay

Kev Choice is a lifelong Oaklander, musician, public educator, and vice chair of the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, an advisory group that exists to support Oakland’s arts and cultural ecosystem. He believes that responsibility cannot be attributed to any individual.

“Due to severe understaffing, backlogs and city bureaucracy, money was not administered to the (Oakland Art and Soul Festival) and 20 other organizations last cycle,” he said. -he declares. “It’s frustrating for everyone involved.”

For Choice, the cancellation reflects a larger systemic problem that requires creative, cross-departmental solutions to resolve.

“We need to create more community partnerships, sponsorships and outside funding. Oakland is in an extreme budget deficit and can no longer support the things it used to support. We need to be very creative in promoting and establishing arts and culture in the city, and the city doesn’t have the capacity to do that like it once did,” Choice said.

Choice notes that, increasingly, Oakland events have had to downsize to survive the current budget reality.

The Oakland Art and Soul Festival, in particular, has been impacted by the city’s changing revenue streams, including reduced funds from the transient occupancy tax. The city’s financial support for the festival declined significantly after the pandemic, when it became a one-day festival and its budget was reduced from $150,000 to $20,000, Choice said. Although the $20,000 amount was approved, its delay posed an obstacle to holding this year’s event in a timely manner.

Currently, Oakland faces a projected deficit of $129 million. Later this week, Mayor Sheng Thao is expected to announce further cuts when she unveils the budget for the 2025-2027 fiscal year.

Choice, meanwhile, laments the loss of community that comes with the cancellation of Art & Soul.

“Some of our other local festivals are more neighborhood focused. But it’s something where you would see everyone you haven’t seen all year in one place: your old classmates, cousins, friends. It’s like a family reunion atmosphere,” he said.