Oakland Pride's 16th year lands Sunday, Aug. 16: a free parade down Broadway at 10:30 a.m., then a ticketed four-stage festival at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Here's the timing, the gates, the price, and how to get there.

Oakland Pride returns this Sunday, Aug. 16 — a full month earlier than its usual September slot — with a free morning parade and a ticketed, four-stage festival in the heart of downtown. The parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. at 21st and Broadway and runs to Clay Street, wrapping around noon. The festival at Frank Ogawa Plaza runs noon to 6 p.m.

Here's the split worth knowing before you go: the parade is free and open to anyone on the sidewalk. The festival is ticketed. Entry gates are at 14th Street & Broadway and 12th Street & Clay. Tickets start at $12, kids 12 and under get in free, and VIP passes run up to $100, sold through Eventbrite and the festival's site. If you only want the parade, you don't need to buy anything — just show up on Broadway before 10:30.

Now in its 16th year, this is the festival's second run at Frank Ogawa Plaza, the plaza fronting City Hall — a spot with its own queer history as the home of East Bay Pride from 1997 to 2004. The move to August wasn't cosmetic: organizers told The Oaklandside they shifted the date largely to land Mexican pop star Fey — of '90s staples "Azúcar Amargo" and "Media Naranja" — for the Latin stage, which co-producer Valentino Carrillo says draws one of the event's biggest crowds, with people traveling in from across the country. September would have collided with Mexican Independence Day and made booking artists from Mexico harder. R&B singer Amerie, of the 2005 hit "1 Thing," headlines the main stage.

The four stages and zones are the real map of the day. The Mighty Real stage goes to house and dance, with vocalist Lady Alma and DJs including David Harness and Charles Hawthorne. Sexy Town is the 18+ zone — fashion shows and wrestling. Generations is the alcohol-free space, with yoga and line dancing, if you're bringing family or just pacing yourself. There's also a health alleyway offering free HIV testing and services info. Other performers on the bill include Terrell Carter, TikTok's Chrissy Chlapecka, and electro-pop artist Star Amerasu.

The move on getting there: take BART. Frank Ogawa Plaza sits on top of the 12th Street/City Center station, and 19th Street is a short walk from the parade route — both drop you steps from the action, and downtown parking on a Sunday street-closure day is a headache you can skip entirely. If you're driving anyway, park south of the festival footprint and walk up; the 12th & Clay gate is your closest entrance from that side.

One more thing worth knowing: The Oaklandside reports the festival is now housed under the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, following the dissolution earlier this year of the nonprofit that previously organized it. Organizers say ticket revenue beyond costs goes back to the Center's year-round services.

If you've got two hours: catch the parade on Broadway at 10:30, then walk into the plaza through the 14th & Broadway gate around noon while it's still uncrowded. Do a loop of the stages, hit the Latin stage for Fey's set, and grab food before the late-afternoon crush.