Previews

The New Parkway to Open By Year End in Oakland’s Uptown District

One of two screening rooms at the new Parkway, with a new hodgepodge of thrift-store furniture.
One of two screening rooms at the new Parkway, with a new hodgepodge of thrift-store furniture. Photo: Facebook

There are couches. There is beer. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Parkway is back in Oakland, just not where it used to be. As reported earlier this year, new owner and principal manager (there are actually 56 investors in total) J. Moses Ceaser has worked for years to revive the popular movie theater on Park Boulevard, with its dusty frat-house couches and beer-and-pizza concession. Ceaser was never able to strike a deal with the landlords at the original theater, and eventually landed on a new location, a former glass sheet factory at 474 24th Street in the hip and increasingly well trafficked Uptown area. A buildout has been ongoing all year, as Oakland North reports, including a full kitchen and two screening rooms with stepped seating, including couches — one seats 145 and the other 125.

Furthermore, there will be much of the same, beloved programming from the original theater, including Thrillville Theater (1950s/60s/70s horror, sci-fi, film noir and kung fu) run by original Will “the Thrill” Viharo; the Baby Brigade, where new parents can bring infants on certain nights; and special viewing parties for the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl. And a bunch of new series as well, like a documentary film series on Tuesdays, a LGBTQ matinee series on Sundays, and a monthly erotica series on first Fridays at midnight.

Ceasar says he plans to be open to the public, following some finishing touches and a few private events, by the end of December. Stay tuned.

The New Parkway - 474 24th Street at Telegraph - Opening late December.

The New Parkway theater gets ready to open its doors in Uptown Oakland [Oakland North]
Earlier: Parkway Theater to Live Again in Oakland’s Uptown
Oakland’s Parkway Theater Still Faces Hurdles in Trying to Reopen

The New Parkway to Open By Year End in Oakland’s Uptown District