Live music, gift-wrapping station, holiday décor, and more happening at OAK
Oakland, Calif. – December 12, 2024: Oakland Airport (OAK) projects that over 500,000 passengers will pass through its terminals for the December holidays. The holiday travel period will be between Friday, December 20 and Monday, January 6. Passenger traffic at OAK is projected to be the busiest on Friday, December 20 and Friday, December 27. The airport is celebrating the holidays with live music, a gift-wrapping station, and festive decorations throughout the terminals.
“Our terminals are fully decked out in holiday décor and we look forward to welcoming holiday travelers through the new year,” says Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon. “We hope that passengers enjoy the return of our gift-wrapping station as well as performances by local Bay Area musicians.”
On December 19, 20, and 23, the airport will once again host a free post-screening gift-wrapping station in the connecting area between Terminals 1 and 2. The station will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for the three days. Note that traveling with wrapped gifts is not recommended, as packages may be opened during the security screening process. The gift-wrapping station, operated by airport staff, helps passengers arrive at their holiday destinations with their gifts ready to go. Additionally, employees will be handing out free candy and popcorn to travelers that stop by.
Also in the terminal connector, local musicians will perform to spread holiday cheer through January 3. Musical artists interested in participating in OAK’s Tunes in the Terminal program can learn more here.
Parking reservations are strongly recommended for customers driving to OAK. Reservations are available for as low as $14 per day for new customers when you click here to book. Booking at least one week in advance will guarantee entry into your chosen parking lot. Space for non-reservation parking is limited, so we recommend visiting the parking page of the OAK website to check for alerts before driving to the airport. All airport parking is within walking distance of the terminals and available at book.iflyoak.com.
New restaurants introduced at OAK this year include Cancun Sabor Mexicano and A16 Pizza in Terminal 1. All airport concessions and hours of operations can be found here. Renovation of OAK’s Terminal 1 check-in counters and restrooms will continue through the holiday season with minimal impacts to travelers.
Travelers can save time by checking in for their flight before coming to the airport using the airline’s website or mobile application. In case of airline delays or cancellations, be sure to check flight status before coming to the airport. For current TSA wait time information and packing tips, download the MyTSA mobile app. The airport recommends arriving at least two hours prior to departure for domestic travel and three hours prior for international travel.
Header photo: Pianist Patrick Liddell playing in OAK’s terminal connector