The 7th Annual LakeFest Oakland lands on June 27 with Grammy headliner Eric Bellinger, Mistah F.A.B. hosting the Culture Stage, 150-plus vendors, and 20,000 expected. Drive and you'll regret it.

Oakland's biggest summer festival takes over Lake Merritt this Saturday, June 27. The 7th Annual LakeFest Oakland runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the lake's east shore, with three stages, 150-plus vendors, and 20,000 attendees expected. General admission is $23.18; children ages 5 to 10 are $12.51. Tickets at lakefestoakland.com.

Founded in 2018 by Trevel Adanandus, LakeFest has turned the lake into a summer landmark for the East Bay. This year's Main Stage, presented by iHeartRadio, features Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Eric Bellinger alongside VEDO, Ian Kelly, Los Rakas, Tyler Reese, and Mani Draper. The Culture Stage — hosted by Oakland's own Mistah F.A.B. — spotlights Bay Area rising and local talent. A third stage, "You Got Praise," runs gospel performances from open to close. Off the stages: a Health & Wellness Zone co-sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, a hands-on tech experience called Genius City from the Hidden Genius Project inside The Garden Center, and a Kids Zone with live animals, arts, and crafts.

Plan the logistics before you go. The city is closing Grand Avenue between Harrison and Perkins Street from 8 p.m. Friday night through 11 p.m. Saturday, with partial closures on Perkins, Ellita, and Staten. Clear bags only at the gates — no backpacks or oversized purses, period.

The move is Lake Merritt BART, about a 10-minute walk to the festival grounds. Driving means circling a neighborhood that'll be gridlocked from Friday evening. If you've only got a couple of hours, start at the Culture Stage while Mistah F.A.B. is hosting — that's where the hometown energy will be. Hold the Main Stage set for late afternoon.