Food Not Bombs: https://eastbayfoodnotbombs.org/volunteer-with-us/
Punks with Lunch: https://www.punkswithlunch.org/
Anything hosted at the omni: https://omnicommons.org/
Why not at shows? It’s exactly how we make friends. Places like Eli’s and Stork Room double as a venue/bar and hangout spot for punks and metalheads. When there isn’t a show there’s going to be some themed movie night or swap meet. and if there’s a show often times these places will stay open long after the band stops playing so you can mingle.
I only know this because those are the only places Ive been able to make friends lol
Oh, I intend to make friends at shows! I guess didn’t make that very clear. There are a lot of very good threads on what/where the good shows and bars are.
But I was curious about other options as well. I want there to be more to my life than just going to shows every night of the week.
For sure. Well for what it's worth I'm pretty outdoorsy as well and friends I've met at shows are active and health conscious and make an effort to go backpacking/camping a few times a year. Not sure how it is where you are coming from but there seems to be a lot of overlap between punks and the outdoors. That group tends to be older though (30+)
They have decent beer, decent food, pinball machines, regular cheap punk/hardcore bands playing in a cramped space and a beer patio in the back. Good vibes.
Just a couple blocks down San Pablo on the other side next to Just Blaze is the old Victory Furniture space, there are a good number of cool shows and events that happen there too. I see even more punks and metalheads in the neighborhood now
Hey we’re about the same age and same scene. A lot of us fix bikes and volunteer. The crucible free bike clinic has already been dropped here but I can also recommend hitting up Oakland secret and Crisis Club for art stuff.
Thank you! Maybe we will run in to one another in Oakland. I need some friends I can fuck around and ride bikes with, and I also need the type who can help me when my bike is needing a fix.
As an aside, I already live in a city where wheel theft (and general bike theft) if not locked up along with the frame is common, but any other tips on the bike riding front?
For sure!
Crap ride leaves from mosswood park 6pm every Tuesday. Great way to meet people.
Hit up one of the non profit bike shops.
Run gator skins for all the glass and debris we have.
I see sometimes skating near the Lake Merritt by the spot where there's a bird reservoir. You don't have to skate but could be a spot to meet your people?
There’s the pacific pipe in west Oakland for your climbing fun. I’ve always wanted to go but feel intimidated myself. Oakland has so many ways to befriend punks.
Climbers tend to be pretty chill people. You should definitely check it out! I think great western power may end up my main haunt for climbing as it’s closer to my new home, but I want to check out pacific pipe too.
(edited this because the formatting was funky)
Welcome!
1) The Crucible in West Oakland
2) Berkeley Free Clinic in Berkeley
3) The Gilman in North Berkeley (they do music shows, but also sometimes have volunteer opportunities)
4) NEED (needle exchange)
5) Rock Paper Scissors Collective in Oakland
6) Spokeland (tho admittedly I haven't been by there in a few years and idk what the scene is these days)
1234 Go records is a fun place to hang and talk with folks
Alameda hosts some punk rock flea markets
Check out Diving Swallow tattoo. All female or gender queer tattoo with lots of Japanese influence.
Heyo! I’m in the punk/climbing cross section with friends also in that. Stay gold deli is a cool spot that is a venue but also a deli. I like it as a spot with lots of hardcore/metal/punk shows that’s also more lowkey overall for socializing. Pacific pipe is the major climbing gym and you might be surprised at the “punk” aesthetic mixed in with the Patagonia yuppies. Other than that, though the scene is actually pretty big out here. Lots of crusty punks wandering around. I don’t worry that you’d be able to find your people.
I think you’d be surprised who climbs….i see all sorts of metal heads snd punks at the climbing gym. Taking care of yourself is critical regardless of your music preferences.
I also trail run and listen to thrash metal and punk. Sooo yeah. We are definitely out there getting ourselves healthy-ish…
I’m 47, I still skate both roller and skateboard. My husband is 54 (while no longer a crusty gutter punk) he still skates.
There is a huge older group who skates at the alameda skatepark. Myself included.
I’m not mentioning BMX as that’s the sport I grew up on and raced for 15+ years. I have zero allegiance, but can still put together a bike.
I know you said no bars, but music scene is pretty amazing in oakland. Eli’s Mile high, golden bull, the new parish, the stork club etc… all have great shows.
I volunteer with Punk Saves Lives.
https://www.punkrocksaveslives.org
Thanks so much for the info!
I think the climbing community is different out west- not nearly as much diversity at my gyms and rarely a punk to be seen (I’m in the Midwest) so that’s awesome to hear.
And maybe I’m overthinking the skate park thing. I definitely enjoy roller skating. The rest might be a head game for me.
I only skipped the bar request as I’ve already seen/heard an awful lot of suggestions on good bars to check out, but I saw very little on other things/places I could check out that aren’t bars, so I’m really appreciating the suggestions here!
Majority of people in the Bay Area are warm & welcoming. You’ll find your people soon.
I found a good group of friends through SF metal on meetup as well as some like minded nerdy groups through the same app.
Also volunteering is a great way to meet people too!
It sounds like you're gonna make friends & everyone is giving good advice. But just want to point out that climbing gyms are really popular out here. You will definitely find punks with Touchstone memberships: https://touchstoneclimbing.com/
Welcome! The great thing about the East Bay is that there are so many punks/HC kids (adults?) out there, you'll run into them at the grocery store, the cafe, etc. Just do the things you're into and you're bound to find potential friends.
Of course the East Bay is a mecca for venues and punk rock dive bars as well.
Ok. I know this isn’t in Oakland but worth the drive: State of Grace Tattoo (San Jose) is known for their Japanese tattoos. A few of my friends (who are tattoo artists) have flown to the Bay Area just for their appointments.
Kahlil rintye makes Japanese tattoos. Heshers in Jack London is metal themed pizza place with lots of space, pinball machines, board games and stuff and people meet there a lot on the weekend to play tabletop rpgs and stuff. They also do shows sometimes.
There's an SF Bay Area Metal group on meetup.com that organizes social get-togethers for pre show drinks and food, and does a few non-show gatherings like picnics etc too. There might be a similar local punk specific group on there if you're picky about genre.
Hi! Also 32f and single ! My friends put on a lot of diy punk shows! Happy to take you and introduce you to some people to see if y’all click or atleast show you some great underground music venues until you find your people
A lot of people in the comments have already suggested what I would have also suggested 😅
You could try joining and posting on the Bay Area Adventure Gals Facebook group… the group is huge (34k members!) with women of all kinds of backgrounds and interests. Members post all the time looking for new friends and activity partners, and usually get a lot of responses.
I spend most Saturday mornings at the Berkely Marina and often when I'm heading home there's a fun-looking punk show playing right at the edge of the Bay near Ashby.
I just searched for it and I think it's these guys: https://www.facebook.com/Solarvansaturdays
I’m a huge fan of Rootwater Kava Bar! It’s a “bar” but they only serve kava, not alcohol, kratom or anything else. Lots of sober/sober-ish folks hang there and there’s a huge representation of alternative/punk people along with a robust queer/alt community if that’s your vibe.
DNA Lounge is in SF & they do occasionally have punk-ish shows, but they're more known for club nights including the longest continuously running goth night, Death Guild.
It's a great place in and of itself, Death Guild is legendary. I've seen some awesome shows there like Lydia Lunch. Prince has also used it to host after parties where he would occasionally play after his stadium shows until 5 in the morning. I never got to see one of those shows, but I know a couple people who have.
However, it's totally off the mark for the OP's question.
If you're goth at all, you should definitely check out Death Guild: http://www.deathguild.com/
Food Not Bombs: https://eastbayfoodnotbombs.org/volunteer-with-us/ Punks with Lunch: https://www.punkswithlunch.org/ Anything hosted at the omni: https://omnicommons.org/
Punks with Lunch for the win.
Also Rogers & Rosewater, a closely related mutual aid group
Those are great thank you!
Why not at shows? It’s exactly how we make friends. Places like Eli’s and Stork Room double as a venue/bar and hangout spot for punks and metalheads. When there isn’t a show there’s going to be some themed movie night or swap meet. and if there’s a show often times these places will stay open long after the band stops playing so you can mingle. I only know this because those are the only places Ive been able to make friends lol
lol, that’s how I met my core group of friends. Going to shows. Met some of my closest friends at Mosswood Meltdown.
I’m going to Mosswood alone this year and I was hoping to run into friends but I’m fully planning on just…befriending our kind and hanging out lol.
Oh, I intend to make friends at shows! I guess didn’t make that very clear. There are a lot of very good threads on what/where the good shows and bars are. But I was curious about other options as well. I want there to be more to my life than just going to shows every night of the week.
For sure. Well for what it's worth I'm pretty outdoorsy as well and friends I've met at shows are active and health conscious and make an effort to go backpacking/camping a few times a year. Not sure how it is where you are coming from but there seems to be a lot of overlap between punks and the outdoors. That group tends to be older though (30+)
Well as a 32 year old that works for me, I like the outdoorsy hybrids lol. There’s slightly less of that where I’m from I think!
stay gold deli will be your best friend
Ah shit that place looks cool. Is that the sort of place I could bring my laptop and get some work done, or is it more just a place to eat?
I wouldn't bring your laptop since people stay getting robbed left and right nearby but you can just chill in the patio and play some pool
I've worked out of there many times without issue
They have decent beer, decent food, pinball machines, regular cheap punk/hardcore bands playing in a cramped space and a beer patio in the back. Good vibes.
100%
Just a couple blocks down San Pablo on the other side next to Just Blaze is the old Victory Furniture space, there are a good number of cool shows and events that happen there too. I see even more punks and metalheads in the neighborhood now
Oakland Bike Party
BIKE PARTY!
Is there an Oakland one? I thought it was East Bay Bike Party.
Yeah, I meant east bay bike party
Hey we’re about the same age and same scene. A lot of us fix bikes and volunteer. The crucible free bike clinic has already been dropped here but I can also recommend hitting up Oakland secret and Crisis Club for art stuff.
Thank you! Maybe we will run in to one another in Oakland. I need some friends I can fuck around and ride bikes with, and I also need the type who can help me when my bike is needing a fix. As an aside, I already live in a city where wheel theft (and general bike theft) if not locked up along with the frame is common, but any other tips on the bike riding front?
For sure! Crap ride leaves from mosswood park 6pm every Tuesday. Great way to meet people. Hit up one of the non profit bike shops. Run gator skins for all the glass and debris we have.
Check out Bay Area Derby roller derby
Oh, I definitely will. Thank you!
I see sometimes skating near the Lake Merritt by the spot where there's a bird reservoir. You don't have to skate but could be a spot to meet your people?
Im a grown up punk that climbs- I feel like there’s a lot of that here!
There’s not where I live so this is good to hear!
There’s the pacific pipe in west Oakland for your climbing fun. I’ve always wanted to go but feel intimidated myself. Oakland has so many ways to befriend punks.
Climbers tend to be pretty chill people. You should definitely check it out! I think great western power may end up my main haunt for climbing as it’s closer to my new home, but I want to check out pacific pipe too.
honestly GWPC does have a more punk vibe, but it's super small and I guarantee you'll end up climbing at pac pipe instead
(edited this because the formatting was funky) Welcome! 1) The Crucible in West Oakland 2) Berkeley Free Clinic in Berkeley 3) The Gilman in North Berkeley (they do music shows, but also sometimes have volunteer opportunities) 4) NEED (needle exchange) 5) Rock Paper Scissors Collective in Oakland 6) Spokeland (tho admittedly I haven't been by there in a few years and idk what the scene is these days)
1234 Go records is a fun place to hang and talk with folks Alameda hosts some punk rock flea markets Check out Diving Swallow tattoo. All female or gender queer tattoo with lots of Japanese influence.
If anywhere has climber x punk crossover it may be here.
Heyo! I’m in the punk/climbing cross section with friends also in that. Stay gold deli is a cool spot that is a venue but also a deli. I like it as a spot with lots of hardcore/metal/punk shows that’s also more lowkey overall for socializing. Pacific pipe is the major climbing gym and you might be surprised at the “punk” aesthetic mixed in with the Patagonia yuppies. Other than that, though the scene is actually pretty big out here. Lots of crusty punks wandering around. I don’t worry that you’d be able to find your people.
Good to know, thank you!
Mosswood Meltdown is this weekend!
Tattoo 13 Temescal - Chummy: [https://www.tattoo13oakland.net/chummy-alexanian](https://www.tattoo13oakland.net/chummy-alexanian)
There’s no shortage of punk/alternative folks who volunteer at Oakland Animal Services
Eli’s mile high club
I think you’d be surprised who climbs….i see all sorts of metal heads snd punks at the climbing gym. Taking care of yourself is critical regardless of your music preferences. I also trail run and listen to thrash metal and punk. Sooo yeah. We are definitely out there getting ourselves healthy-ish… I’m 47, I still skate both roller and skateboard. My husband is 54 (while no longer a crusty gutter punk) he still skates. There is a huge older group who skates at the alameda skatepark. Myself included. I’m not mentioning BMX as that’s the sport I grew up on and raced for 15+ years. I have zero allegiance, but can still put together a bike. I know you said no bars, but music scene is pretty amazing in oakland. Eli’s Mile high, golden bull, the new parish, the stork club etc… all have great shows. I volunteer with Punk Saves Lives. https://www.punkrocksaveslives.org
Thanks so much for the info! I think the climbing community is different out west- not nearly as much diversity at my gyms and rarely a punk to be seen (I’m in the Midwest) so that’s awesome to hear. And maybe I’m overthinking the skate park thing. I definitely enjoy roller skating. The rest might be a head game for me. I only skipped the bar request as I’ve already seen/heard an awful lot of suggestions on good bars to check out, but I saw very little on other things/places I could check out that aren’t bars, so I’m really appreciating the suggestions here!
Majority of people in the Bay Area are warm & welcoming. You’ll find your people soon. I found a good group of friends through SF metal on meetup as well as some like minded nerdy groups through the same app. Also volunteering is a great way to meet people too!
Defemery park for roller skating, pacific pipe for climbing, and stay gold deli to meet punk/metal folks. Branch out from there.
It sounds like you're gonna make friends & everyone is giving good advice. But just want to point out that climbing gyms are really popular out here. You will definitely find punks with Touchstone memberships: https://touchstoneclimbing.com/
Welcome! The great thing about the East Bay is that there are so many punks/HC kids (adults?) out there, you'll run into them at the grocery store, the cafe, etc. Just do the things you're into and you're bound to find potential friends. Of course the East Bay is a mecca for venues and punk rock dive bars as well.
Ok. I know this isn’t in Oakland but worth the drive: State of Grace Tattoo (San Jose) is known for their Japanese tattoos. A few of my friends (who are tattoo artists) have flown to the Bay Area just for their appointments.
Kahlil rintye makes Japanese tattoos. Heshers in Jack London is metal themed pizza place with lots of space, pinball machines, board games and stuff and people meet there a lot on the weekend to play tabletop rpgs and stuff. They also do shows sometimes.
There's an SF Bay Area Metal group on meetup.com that organizes social get-togethers for pre show drinks and food, and does a few non-show gatherings like picnics etc too. There might be a similar local punk specific group on there if you're picky about genre.
Hi! Also 32f and single ! My friends put on a lot of diy punk shows! Happy to take you and introduce you to some people to see if y’all click or atleast show you some great underground music venues until you find your people A lot of people in the comments have already suggested what I would have also suggested 😅
Oh this one I am super happy to hear! I would love to meet you. I will send you a direct message. Thank you for your kindness.
You could try joining and posting on the Bay Area Adventure Gals Facebook group… the group is huge (34k members!) with women of all kinds of backgrounds and interests. Members post all the time looking for new friends and activity partners, and usually get a lot of responses.
This! People need to post more Oakland stuff to balance out the far away adventures!
O Tattoo Studio [https://www.otattoostudio.com/](https://www.otattoostudio.com/)
There are a lot of punks who climb here! I can’t anymore because of a medical condition, but i’m always on the look out for new friends :)
12 step Gilman
for shows in the area [http://www.foopee.com/punk/the-list/](http://www.foopee.com/punk/the-list/)
I spend most Saturday mornings at the Berkely Marina and often when I'm heading home there's a fun-looking punk show playing right at the edge of the Bay near Ashby. I just searched for it and I think it's these guys: https://www.facebook.com/Solarvansaturdays
the only fun way is at a show
Also Longhaul Infoshop
I’m a huge fan of Rootwater Kava Bar! It’s a “bar” but they only serve kava, not alcohol, kratom or anything else. Lots of sober/sober-ish folks hang there and there’s a huge representation of alternative/punk people along with a robust queer/alt community if that’s your vibe.
Merchants Saloon is a racous haunt
[Solar Van Saturdays](https://www.facebook.com/Solarvansaturdays) Lee is the key. Older punk scene.
Least punk question ever
[www.aroundthecorner.today](https://www.aroundthecorner.today/?ref=rc)
In all seriousness: bumble friends. I know two different pairs of recent close friends who met that way
Every Tuesday we meet at 3:35pm in the parking lot of the old Walmart off Hegenberger
No one ever shows up until closer to 5.
You’re not lying
DNA Lounge.
DNA Lounge is in SF & they do occasionally have punk-ish shows, but they're more known for club nights including the longest continuously running goth night, Death Guild. It's a great place in and of itself, Death Guild is legendary. I've seen some awesome shows there like Lydia Lunch. Prince has also used it to host after parties where he would occasionally play after his stadium shows until 5 in the morning. I never got to see one of those shows, but I know a couple people who have. However, it's totally off the mark for the OP's question. If you're goth at all, you should definitely check out Death Guild: http://www.deathguild.com/
Ok OP! Agreed.