Photo by Maurice Ramirez (www.mauriceramirez.com)

Tourists go to Alcatraz island, naturalists go to Angel Island, and day drinking connoisseurs go to Alameda Island.  Not just because some of the finest distilleries, wineries and breweries are located in Alameda (Faction, Hanger 1, & Rock Wall Wine which sadly just closed but is currently selling its awesome inventory at a discount here), but because the island provides views of the city skyline, along with Oakland’s sunshine, making it one best patio drinking and eating excursions in the Bay Area.

And you can go there by boat, like a pirate.

Alameda Point Waterfront Park; image credit: Maurice Ramirez Photography

Now there is yet another waterside area on the island to enjoy, built on the former Alameda Naval Air Base, and it’s grand opening will have a Dance and Music festival this coming April 9th, “The Waterfront Park Launch Fest“.  The whole arts and commerce community on Alameda came together to make this thing happen.

Liam Passmore at Shave and a Haircut PR sent us some nice info about the new park’s history and construction:

The park itself sits on a promenade built on the former bulkhead built by the Navy. From that vantage point, you can see the ramps used to slide seaplanes into the water. John King, the Urban Design Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle broke down the design elements along with the thoughtful and good work of Alameda Point Partners who brought it all together in a recent article that can be found HERE.

Photo by Maurice Ramirez (www.mauriceramirez.com)

Thanks to the work of local nonprofits like Rhythmix Cultural Works and West End Arts District and the support of the city, Alameda’s art scene is flourishing. So much so that future plans call for the establishment of Radium, a 500-seat theater and arts center at Alameda Point. In the past, the areas around the park have been used in the television series MythBusters where they often conducted vehicle-based experiments. Most recently a two-mile freeway loop was constructed on the base for the filming of a lengthy car chase sequence for the movie The Matrix Reloaded. 

“Ever since I arrived in Alameda in 2016, I’ve been drawn to Alameda Point and the Waterfront Park District,” says Tara Pilbrow, Executive Director of the West End Arts District. “It’s such a unique space and location. If we can place the arts at the center of its development it has the potential to become an incredible creative hub. Opening the Waterfront Park with a day full of art and performance seems to me to be the perfect way to herald that future!”

In the words of Amy Wooldrige, Recreation and Parks Director for the City of Alameda, talking about the completion of the park and the work of the Alameda Waterfront District, “This brings a whole other aspect to Alameda and really revitalizes the entire Naval Air Station.”

What: Alameda Waterfront Park Launch Fest
When: Saturday, April 9, 2022
Time: 1:30-5pm
Where: Waterfront Park in Alameda
Admission: FREE!!

Scheduled performances include:

• AXIS Dance Company – The Oakland-based ensemble is the nation’s premiere dance company made up of disabled and non-disabled dancers, who will be onsite with their new Artistic Director Nadia Adame.
• Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble – Part international drill team and part polycultural rhythm section, Crosspulse brings together synchronized movement, body percussion and world drumming.
• Fog Beast – Company Directors Melecio Estrella and Andrew Ward present the second iteration of their “performance journey,” entitled These Lines Are Living that will include a special collaboration with the Shawl Anderson Youth Ensemble.
• 13^th Floor – This ensemble of highly skilled performers adept at acting, dance, and acrobatics, is the next generation of high-end traveling interactive theater.
• Maze Daiko – There will be Drums! Maze Daiko’s global inspiration with a wide range of percussion creates contemporary interpretations for Taiko.
• Batalá San Francisco – More drums! The Bay Area contingent of the international drumming organization Batalá Mundo, founded by Giba Concalves in 1997, play a combination of samba and reggae, an Afro-Brazilian genre of music developed in Bahia, Brazil.
• An Aeolian Installation curated by Thingamajigs – A creative collaboration of art, music and science come together in innovative sound sculptures that harness the power of the wind!
• Animate Alameda – Students from the Bay Area Music Project’s Sound Lab class at Maya Lin Elementary school have composed an original piece which will be performed to by students from Encinal High School and Alameda High School.
• College of Alameda Dance – Modern dance and choreography for students of all ages with an emphasis on creating dances from various cultures including: Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Latino, and others.

Artists from Maze Daiko, 13th Floor, and Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble on site in the Alameda Point Waterfront District; image credit: David DeSilva