Oakland’s Chinatown celebrates annual street festival in the wake of crime concerns

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland’s Chinatown was buzzing with food, culture, and community spirit on Saturday, as the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce hosted its 36th annual StreetFest.

Organizers of the two-day event said it was an important effort to uplift small businesses and encourage foot traffic, especially following a string of recent high-profile crimes that have left many residents concerned.

There were nearly 100 vendors and booths, featuring street food, goods and other products. Among the attendees was Alondra Garcia, who drove in from Hayward to support the local community. 

"I actually seen this on TikTok and I want to try something new, other than Mexican food," she said of her glazed fruit stick. 

Attendees watched live performances, played mahjong in the street, and stopped by Shooting Star Cafe's booth, which reported one of its busiest days in recent memory.

"Pretty busy. I'm nonstop making the egg puffs today since from 9 o’clock to now... Haven’t been busy for a while like that," said Maggie Fang, who worked the cafe's booth.

She credited the visible police presence for the turnout. 

"Today a lot of police around, a lot of people walking around, I feel safe," she said. "People just scared. But more of this kind of event is better, people come out to spend."

Festival follows spike in crime

The celebration came at the end of a difficult week in Oakland’s Chinatown and the surrounding area. 

On Monday, a car rammed into Kim Tin Jewelry in broad daylight, shattering the store’s entrance. An armed robbery followed. 

Just days later, suspects used a U-Haul truck to crash into two Chinatown banks. A woman was also robbed at gunpoint at an ATM near Lake Merritt.

The crimes prompted leaders from the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce to call for more action from city officials. The same organization also hosted the street festival.

"Businesses here in Chinatown, they embrace the StreetFest because this is an opportunity to bring people and visitors from all throughout the Bay Area to come into Chinatown at a time when we need more foot traffic, we need more visitors," said Stephanie Tran, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. 

Safety remained a top concern for some attendees.

"Actually… no," said Garcia, when asked if she felt safe. "I am a Bay Area native so it’s been going on for a while but I’ve seen that it’s been getting worse… I came with my partner - we had to take out all his tools from work from the backseat just in case we get robbed over here."

Still, Garcia said she was glad she attended and enjoyed the event.

Oakland native Rob Tam also shared concerns about the neighborhood’s safety.

"My sense of safety is that it's not very safe," Tam said. "We need to spend more money on the police and securing the streets and making it more safe for people to come out. Elders don’t feel safe coming out at night. Chinatown is dead at nighttime now."

Despite the challenges, Tam said he showed up to support his community.

"Every year is less and less people," he said. "So we have to change that, and we need people to come out."

Looking ahead

In pre-pandemic years, the chamber said the festival has drawn up to 60,000 people. Organizers say this year they expect about 10,000 attendees over the two-day event.

The free festival continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Oakland’s Chinatown.