12th Annual Art and Soul Festival in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The 12th Annual Art and Soul Festival in downtown Oakland begins today with a number of new additions.

Focusing on homegrown talent, the two-day Art and Soul festival is the flagship event of Oakland, fueling the growth of downtown, according to city officials.

With a reputation as one of the Bay Area's best music festivals, the weekend event touts some of Oakland's best music, art and food, city officials said.

New attractions featured this year include burning man-style sculptures, turf dance and dance battles, local filmmaker screenings, Oakland-based food trucks, a community digital art project, and many more.

The festival, centered around Frank Ogawa Plaza, City Center and the surrounding streets, will feature music from 50 artists on five stages. Local artists include Luce, Lyrics Born, Meshell Ndegeocello, Souls of Mischief, Vocal Rush among others.

Since its inception in 2000, the festival has attracted 500,000 people, according to city officials.

Today's celebration begins at 2 p.m. and the party doesn't stop until midnight when DJ Dyloot, one of the Bay Area's top trance DJs, stops spinning records from his post on the roof of City Hall.

On Sunday, the festival picks up at noon and runs through 6 p.m.

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