Paramount Theatre-Oakland

This is the best venue for indoor live entertainment around. The restoration of the classic Art Deco theater makes the place unbelievable. Anyone who has a chance to experience this place should do it at some time. Especially for classic movie night. $ 5 entrance fee just to see this place is worth it. On top of that you get a classic organ playing, newsreel, cartoon and movie. Can’t beat that price!
And often the crowd is just as entertaining as the movie, sometimes more so.

This is a special review, a tribute to Prince when my husband and I saw him perform at the Paramount in 2016, a few months before his passing.
Thanks Prince for sharing your songs, wit, infectious happiness, message of self-​preservation, and your musical genius with us all!
Thanks for the fun purple piano on stage, letting me get caught up in watching how a creative genius can belt out so many songs from yourself and various artists, in the moment.
Thanks to all the nice fans at the concert, really sweet and respectful crowd.
Every time I go past the Paramount, I’ll remember the heartfelt joy of the concert. We are so lucky you have been in our lifetime.

I flew in from Denver for Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil concert. Conveniently located near Bart line, beautifully preserved historial venue with outstanding acoustics and helpful ushers. The only downfall-​being distracted by a large number of inconsiderate people constantly checking their smart phones. High intensity lights from phones was very annoying-​Paramount seriously needs to have a policy on this and enforce it. Still a memorable experience and will return. Good thing I rechecked address because I thought it was in San Francisco and it’s in Oakland.

Beautiful place and saw Prince here. I don’t need to say much besides that it’s a great venue for great artists.

This is one of the most beautiful and well maintained theaters in all of California. From the moment you arrive at their box office, you can feel the history and art deco influences oozing out of every pore that this structure has. The inside of the theater is huge and has been taken care of and arranged in a manner which instantly transports you back to the early part of the 30’s, where red velvet ropes were your number one guide into the world of entertainment. It’s amazing that this theater still runs as both a movie theater and concert venue for all to enjoy, and it is definitely high up on the bay area list of landmarks to visit. No matter what show you come here to see, you are guaranteed a great time, but in my opinion, the best days to stop by are the flashback movie nights, for only $ 5; you get an opportunity to see some of the best films from this past century on the big screen.

Best sound, and amazing venue all the way around. Have seen many bands here, including Prince (last week), and Them Crooked Vultures (Dave Grohol, John Paul Jones, and Josh homme). Always Amazing. Trying to get down front. Back is ok, but Front is amazing. Sounds great everywhere.

This past Friday was about the fourth or fifth time that I’d been to The Paramount in my life, but it was an extra special occasion because I was there to see The Terminator with a really good friend of mine. The movie was set to start at 8 PM, but we made our way there around 7:30 or thereabouts in order to get our seats and take in the sights of the theater beforehand.
I’m always blown away by The Paramount, but my friend was seeing it for the first time and she was absolutely floored. She walked around marveling at the stunning architecture of the interior, and delighted in the entire experience throughout the night. Nothing beats the newsreel and cartoon before the actual movie rolls, and I’m particularly partial to how The Paramount screens old copies of its classic films; there’s a certain level of authenticity to seeing the genuine article that can’t be replicated, and makes the viewing that much more fun.
No matter what you go to see at The Paramount, it’s worth the price of admission, as this theater isn’t just a gem of Oakland’s, but of the entire damn country. With someone special in tow, the experience can be exponentially more enjoyable, by the way.

Located near Pandora’s HQ in downtown Oakland… This place is gorgeous! It’s like taking a step back in time when you walk into this theater.
Everything is original and the architecture is just breath taking.
Came here to see Prince and it was the perfect venue for an intimately up close show of the legend himself. There was balcony and orchestra level seating. Orchestra was hosted downstairs and the balcony is upstairs when you walk inside. Honestly, I think the balcony seats are just as good as orchestra but I have a hard time being too far from the stage when it comes to artists I love. Point being; no matter where you sit, it will be a good seat with a decent view due to the way the theater and seats are structured. The venue sits about 3k.
This is the kind of theater that hosts shows where you will be sitting down mostly and the ushers do a good job of guiding you to and from your seat before and during the show.
Any venue will stand out as remarkable when you’re there to see Prince but I am SO glad I got to see him at this venue. For those of you wondering… He sounds just as good live as he does on record. 2 hours of non stop hits and 4 encores! Excellent sound quality and lighting in the theater to make everything that much better.
I would highly recommend this place if you’re looking for a more intimate experience. It’s just something you have to experience once versus going to the oracle arena or any other large venue. Nothing compares.
I’ll definitely come back to this venue.

I’ve come here twice to see two legends: Jerry Seinfeld and Prince. Both lived up to the hype
The theatre is absolutely gorgeous and there is no such thing as a bad seat in there. Makes me wish I lived in downtown Oakland so I could come to more events here
Very convenient parking nearby

What a beautiful old theater. We went to the Prince concert and I was worried about parking. I could not find anything on Unilocal about that. Well there are various parking garages around the corner about half a block walking from the Theater. 20 dollers in the regular parking garages and up to 30 on make shift one for a bigger carvlike SUV or minivan. When you get to the theater they have a slide your credit card at the entry (the one you bought the tickets with) and they print then and there the tickets. Super fast. There are many ticket people at various doors so no long lines. The theater itself is old Hollywood and even has a vanity area in the womens bathroom. There are 2 bars main lobby and upstairs balcony as well as bathrooms. Many ushers to help you with seating. A great experience in every way! Prince is a musical genious!!!

I scheduled a photography tour for my camera club and it was superb! The whole experience from the time I made the reservation all the way through the entire tour was fantastic. Kevin was our docent and he was incredibly knowledgeable about the theater as well as helpful and fun. I really want to thank him for taking such good care of us!
I grew up in Oakland and have spent many evenings at this theater. My high school had its graduation at the Paramount and I will never forget it. But there is definitely a huge difference between seeing it full of people and seeing it empty as we did today.
We saw all aspects of the theater including backstage, upstairs and downstairs where the acts get ready.
We were also very lucky today… there were a several organ builders sitting around chatting on the stage. Most of them were elderly gentlemen that have obviously been around the business for a long time. All of a sudden someone got up to play the organ and it was sheer Magic standing in the stage listening to the glorious music.
I’ll never forget my tour here and I would recommend anyone do the private tour. I believe there are two kinds of tours… One is the photography tour that we did and the other is the historical tour. What an amazing place!
FIVE STARS!

Date: 12/​31/​2015 Time: 9:10 PM 52° Clear
My last review for 2015 and it’s New Year’s Eve. My honey-​do and I are at the Paramount Theater for the Black Comedy Explosion. The headliner for this evening is comedian George Wallace. Tommy Davidson from In Loving Colors is also be in the house. Deon Cole and Speedy are the two other comedians.
It has been so many years that we attended this event. D.L. Hughley, Joe Torry and Sheryl Underwood were the headliners back in the days.
Every year the Paramount always has the Black Comedy Explosion and it’s all the way live! Show starts at 10:00 PM and concludes at midnight. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Ain’t nothin’ like havin’ a blast at the Black Comedy Explosion.
The Paramount Theater is a landmark and the ambiance has a beautifully designed Art Deco interior. I remember coming here with my brothers and sisters to watch the old Disney classic (now), Son of Flubber, back in the early 60’s. The only drawback for this senior citizen is the theater has no elevators to get to the balcony levels. Those flights of stairs going up are always a pain to my knees, my back and my ass. Thank goodness, my husband bought the tickets for seating in the orchestra level.
Happy New Year to everybody! Peace out. I’m gonna have a funky good time, all right now.

The Town’s gorgeous Art Deco theatre is a special place for me. During the eight years I served my alma mater as a teacher and then administrator, I sat on stage as a class advisor or special guest with each graduating class. What a treat for our students and their families to conclude their time in high school with commencement here. Aside from being a great venue for special events and performances, it’s also the site of the wonderful monthly Movie Classics featuring the Mighty Wurlitzer and fun live game show Deco-​Win. Each classic movie is preceded by a vintage newsreel and Looney Tunes. In my single days, I organized several movie nights with friends here; I brought a dozen folks with me to see _​West Side Story_​, had a night w my besties laughing through _​The Graduate_​, and cried through _​Casablanca_​on a date. After many years of missing out, I asked my high school bestie and her daughter to join us last night. We watched our family favorite _​The Wizard of Oz_​on the big screen. We grabbed great balcony seats. We grown folks enjoyed red wine and all of us enjoyed the varieties of popcorn sold. My little one dug the «fancy sitting room» in the mezzanine women’s lounge. The audience was quite engaged, hissing at the Wicked Witch, singing along with the soundtrack, and laughing at some of the lines we didn’t appreciate watching it every year on cable TV. Definitely a must-​do in Oakland! We have plans to return for _​Dumbo_​in January.

This place is just amazing. So classy and elegant. Right next to BART and theres lots of spots to eat! My HS graduation was here and it was just breath taking! I will always remember that happy day at this beautiful Oakland landmark! Hope to come in the future for movie nights & concerts!

It’s a visually spectacular venue. Of the theaters this size I’ve been to: the Orpheum, Fox, Curran, and Warfield, the Paramount is best. I saw Chris Cornell give a great show here just last night, and the acoustics were terrific.
The only drawback is that the box office hours are pretty limited. I have an aversion to buying tickets online, and having the box office open limited weekend hours and no real evening hours makes it tougher for me.
That said, the place is terrific so I’ll likely step it up to get there!

Old movies, wine in a can, newsreels, cartoons, a beautiful theatre, and DEC-​O-​WIN??? It doesn’t get any better than the Paramount’s monthly Friday night classic movies. They feature everything from Casablanca to Pretty Woman to Jurassic Park — for just $ 5! Hit up some awesome Oakland bars before and after (complete with adorable bearded Oakland boys), and you’ve got the makings for a great night. Oh — don’t forget to arrive a little early to snag a good seat, and hang onto your raffle ticket!

It is not every day that I become an American, but when I do, I do it at the Paramount Theatre.
Shall we talk about the gorgeous, luxurious Art Deco architecture that easily brings to mind the times past when men and women would be dressed to the nines to go to the movies? The same architecture that one associates with the «Golden Era of American Culture» (whatever that means)? Blah, I am woefully ignorant about architecture and cannot give justice to the beauty that surrounded me while I took the Oath to become a naturalized American. I can say, though, that the Paramount is oh soooo pretty!
It is not every day that I denounce my old allegiances, but doing it in such a beautiful place somehow gives solemnity and grace to a life-​changing event.
Tip for the other people who are going to the Oath Ceremony: During the time of this writing (February 4, 2015) the garage across the street only charges $ 10 for special event parking (Franklin and 21^st). Even though the appointment letter indicated a 9:15 check-​in, they allowed us inside the theater at 8:30. Family members sit in the balcony. Try to get in early so you can have great seats.

P= palatial
A=amazing
R=rich
A=awe-inspiring
M=magnificent
O=opulent
U=undeniable
N= nostalgia
T=tremendous
The icon of what makes downtown Oakland hip and deserves its place on the best city to live in list. Paramount reminds of glamour and splendor with its Art Deco design and palatial opulence. As you walk through the lobby the walls and ceiling vibrate with richness and awe-​inspiring images of everything that was grand of days ago, no wonder The Paramount is a national historic landmark. You know it and I’ll say it, This Is Oakland baby, don’t get it twisted!

Bow your head, you are walking into an über cool East Bay Oakland classic Hollywood old time landmark movie theater. Just going to the ladies’ room warrants a photo shoot.
My date took me here to see «The King and I» on their glorious full screen LARGE screen cinema experience. Loved it.
Easily accessible by BART.
Don’t event attempt parking near here unless you are The President or The Pope.
Pluses: going to the potty is an Art Deco experience. Long lines down glorious stairs.

I came to The Paramount Theater in Oakland on a Thursday night to see my favorite singer; David Gray. I was absolutely ecstatic to go, so I ended up arriving over an hour early to make sure I found a parking spot.
The one bad thing about The Paramount Theater is that it is located in an area with many shops and restaurants and little to no street parking. The night I went there was a Brand New/​Coheed and Cambria show going on on a theater the next block over so parking was extra scarce. There is a parking garage the next street over but you get charged every twenty minutes, and one at the end of the street for $ 10 cash. I decided to park in the small lot right next to The Paramount Theater for $ 15 because it was easy to get in and out of and I didn’t have to walk around by myself at night. In Oakland.
The Paramount Theater didn’t look like much from the outside, but I was shocked how beautiful it was once I got inside. The ceilings are tall, it is huge, the lights are beautiful and it is fully restored back to it’s original glory.
My seat was in the second row of the balcony which overlapped the first floor so it was equal to about the 7^th row on the floor. Let me say I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house, but my seat was AMAZING! The sound was wonderful and I had the perfect view of David Gray and the band onstage.
My favorite part of the show (after staring at David Gray the whole night of course) was the lights during the show. They amplified the performance 100x with the beautiful multi colored lights perfectly timed with the music.
It was the perfect night, I wouldn’t have changed anything about it.

If you’ve never been to the Paramount Theater, I’ll start by saying that it’s every bit as glamorous and gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside — a true Art Deco gem that you should experience at least once if you can.
Last Friday I came for the showing of Dirty Harry (one of my all-​time favorite movies), and I purchased my tickets online. Only $ 6 for the showing! There was quite a turnout that night, as the lobby and theater were packed, both on the ground level and the balcony.
The glitz of the 20s is everywhere you turn in the Paramount, truly living up to its name. Gold and rich colors cover every wall, plush carpet, towering facades, tall mirrors, intricately carved walls — beautiful is hardly enough to describe the interior. The theater itself is massive, and the screen wasn’t at all hard to a see even wen sitting in the balcony.
Before the movie we were treated to a newsreel just like you would’ve seen in years gone by, and a particularly funny episode of the Looney Tunes. Then there’s Deco Spin, the Paramount’s prize giveaway to randomly selected members of the audience (though sadly I didn’t walk away a winner).
The copy of Dirty Harry we watched seemed to be the actual film reel from the 70s, which was awesome, though there were some slight issues with sound and the reel cutting out very briefly at times. My only real complaint about my experience is that a hoard of hipsters seemed to be a large makeup of the crowd that night, hipsters that couldn’t handle their alcohol and made one too many trips to the bar and came into the theater smashed and dropping their metal cans of Budweiser on the floor during the movie. Perhaps to eliminate the occurrence of said drunken hipsters yelling out «wwaaasstteedd» inches from other patrons’ faces during the film, the Paramount should rethink allowing alcohol past the lobby area.
But small annoyances aside, this was a really fun experience, and I’m happy to say that I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying one of Oakland’s amazing contributions to art and architecture, and a film experience that takes you back to another era.