Eat Real Festival at Jack London Square to draw big crowd

Oakland, CA – (Sept. 22, 2016): The Eat Real Festival 2016 is a multi-cultural eating extravaganza at the Oakland waterfront this weekend. The three-day event at the Port of Oakland’s Jack London Square draws tens of thousands of visitors. Admission is free. The event is family-friendly and runs Friday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 25. Festival organizers say more than 600,000 people have attended the event since 2009.

Eat Real highlights fresh and handmade food with a focus on organic, local and sustainable ingredients. This is the festival’s eighth year in Oakland. The video featuring the upcoming event is here. Eat Real has been described as a combination of a state fair atmosphere, a street-food festival, and a giant block party to celebrate good food.

Local celebrity chefs will give live cooking demonstrations. Food experts will deliver tips on a variety of topics from home coffee roasting to raising chickens. More than 70 food trucks, booths, and carts will provide a huge variety of tasty and innovative food selections (No dish costs more than $8). Festival goers will enjoy Do It Yourself demonstrations, hands-on classes, and two stages featuring live music.

At the Eat Real Homesteader Stage youngsters can learn about food preparation. In addition to being a Festival sponsor, the Port of Oakland will also host the Makers Table, Saturday, Sept. 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children will have the opportunity to learn about planting seeds and how growing food is tied to the Port as an international gateway for exporting California produce. This is the largest free event that the Port and its partners offer during the year.

Eat Real Festival schedule, Jack London Square:
Friday, September 23, 1:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday, September 24, 10:30am - 9:00pm
Sunday, September 25, 10:30am - 5:00pm

Transportation:
BART 12th Street Oakland City Center station; from there you can walk, bike, or bus; plan your trip at bart.gov;
BUS Take the free “B”. The Broadway Shuttle will be running an extended schedule during all festival hours between Jack London Square and 12th Street. Connect from BART seamlessly!
TRAIN Take the Capitol Corridor train from Sacramento to San Jose and get off at Jack London Square’s Amtrak station (directly adjacent to the Eat Real Festival).
FERRY Take the ferry from San Francisco or South City and dock right at Jack London Square. Plan your ferry trip here.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. Together with its business partners, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

Media Contacts:
Marilyn Sandifur
Port Spokesperson
Port of Oakland
(510) 627-1193
Click here to contact Marilyn Sandifur

Robert Bernardo
Communications Manager
Port of Oakland
(510) 627- 1401
Click here to contact Robert Bernardo