ABOUT OAKTOBERFEST IN THE DIMOND
The Festival
Oaktoberfest celebrates the history, the flavors, and the people of the Bay Area. Oakland’s Dimond District hosts this one-of-a-kind Fall Festival (combining Oktoberfest with Oakland), welcoming thousands with craft beer & food, entertainment, arts, and ecology. The Dimond continues a tradition as an entertainment destination, begun in the early 1900’s when Beer Gardens and German vacation resorts lined the boulevard. Oaktoberfest will bring world-class beer to the tented beer hall, serving steins of traditional German flavors and regional brew pub favorites.
Hosted by the Dimond Improvement Association and the Dimond Merchants Association, Oaktoberfest event brings together elements of the district vision for a one-day, everyone-welcome, family-friendly craft beer festival.
Oaktoberfest is an event designed not only to celebrate the proud history of a shining district in Oakland, but also to raise funds for improvement projects, community development programs, and future events. The success of this festival relies on committed volunteers and the generosity of area residents and engaged businesses. Your support for this nonprofit event will create positive change in the community.
Oaktoberfest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fundraising event with donations going toward ongoing community development efforts.
The Dimond District History
Hugh Dimond settled in upper Fruitvale near Sausal Creek in 1867. The land that is now known as Dimond Park was purchased by the City of Oakland in 1917. A visit to this beautiful, 14-acre park will show you pieces of Hugh Dimond’s original Estate, an expansive open space with tall redwoods and mighty oaks, children’s playgrounds, several picnic areas, a public swimming pool, and a gorgeous, wooded canyon carved by Sausal Creek and the Dimond Canyon trail system. Prior to prohibition, Dimond was host to generous beer gardens, restaurants and dance halls that welcomed visitors and debutantes from all over the world.
The Dimond Today
Today, the Dimond District is one of Oakland’s most diverse neighborhoods. Families enjoy the open spaces and proximity to excellent public and private schools. The heart of the Dimond is located at Fruitvale Ave and MacArthur Blvd and hosts a vibrant mix of businesses, cafes, shops and more! For a complete list of Dimond Business & Professional Association members, please visit embracedimond.com/shop.
The Dimond Improvement Association
The Dimond Improvement Association (DIA) was established in 1953 and is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization. The DIA is Oaktoberfest’s proud fiscal sponsor. The DIA works with the City of Oakland to ensure public safety, beautify the district, and create community through several annual events including the DIA Picnic, the Winter Festival and our district’s biggest event, Oaktoberfest in the Dimond!
For more information about Dimond and the DIA go to dimondnews.org.
The Bill Brand Memorial Beer Garden
We would like to recognize William Brand’s contribution to Oaktoberfest and the craft beer movement. He was one of Oaktoberfest’s founders and a champion of the craft beer.
Bill was a reporter and writer who covered craft brewing in his column “What’s on Tap,” first independently as a newsletter by mail in the 1990s and then in the Oakland Tribune and other Bay Area News Group papers.
His love for beer and the people who make it encouraged him to continue writing until his untimely death in 2009. One of his last projects he contributed to was Oaktoberfest.
We raise a stein for Bill. Prost!
