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Oakland Pride Festival Returns to Elks Lodge

Community Event Is a Celebration of Love and Unity
Posted on: June 12, 2026 - 9:16am

People in rainbow regalia watch a performance.

By David Pacquiao

The Oakland NJ Pride organization will host its annual Oakland Pride Festival on June 28 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The family-friendly event will take place at the Oakland Elks Lodge, 33 Ramapo Valley Road. Organizers invite all residents and neighbors to celebrate the local LGBTQ community with an afternoon of live music, food, and local vendors.

Founded in 2019 as a grassroots group, Oakland Pride is bringing the festival back after taking a brief pause last year. The spacious grounds at the Elks Lodge features a large lawn for families to enjoy games and dancing. The event will showcase five different musical artists from the LGBTQ community, coordinated by Ponds Reformed Church music director Matthew Harder, to play at the Elks Lodge outdoor pavilion.

Community collaboration plays a major role in making the festival happen. Pastor Nathan Busker from Ponds Reformed Church is donating all the food for the event and will be personally cooking at the venue's gazebo. Attendees can also explore booths from various local nonprofits and vendors, including the Bergen County LGBTQ Alliance.

A band with guitar, bass, drums and a female vocalist performs in a gazebo.

Event organizer Angel D'Alessandro notes the growing reach of the celebration. "It's not just people from Oakland; we have people [who]live across Bergen County," D'Alessandro said. "Oakland Pride is a really great community that we've been able to foster over the years. Come to the festival and be an ally, just gather with other queer folks and show how important it is to really show up for the LGBTQ+ community."

Oakland NJ Pride is currently seeking volunteers of all ages and abilities to help run the festival. If you are a local resident looking to get involved in LGBTQ+ activism, you can sign up to volunteer through their website.

Admission is open to all ages, with organizers suggesting that you bring donation items for the Ponds Food Pantry. You can also support the festival by purchasing a custom graphic T-shirt designed by local artist Anthony D'Alessandro. Proceeds help cover event decoration expenses, and you can buy your shirt directly from their vendor website.