W. 2nd, L, W. 4th and G Streets in historic downtown
The annual Hot August Cruise & Car Show will once again be held in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown on W. 2nd, L, W. 4th and G Streets. and is open to the public from 5PM – 9 PM. See many beautiful classic cars and enjoy great music and food from all the Rivertown restaurants, which along with the stores will be open.
Performances will be at Prewett Family Park not in Rivertown this year
Date(s): Thursdays, August 7, 14 & 21 Time(s): 6:00pm-8:00pm Location: Antioch Community Center Amphitheater at Prewett Family Park
By City of Antioch Recreation Department
Are you ready to experience the ultimate summer vibes? As the sun sets, the real magic begins. Picture yourself surrounded by friends and family, a cool summer breeze, and the rhythmic beats of live music. All for FREE!
Although it’s entitled the Rhythms by the River Concert Series it won’t be in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown next to the river. Instead, this year, the performances will be at Prewett Family Park in the Antioch Community Center Amphitheater at 4703 Lone Tree Way.
Hot August Thursdays prepare to be serenaded by a diverse range of artists and bands, covering genres from rock, pop, and country to Motown, R&B, today’s hits and much, much more. Our carefully curated lineup promises to keep you grooving all evening long and includes Nzuri Soul on Aug. 7th, The Houserockers on the 14th and Groove Ride on Aug. 21st.
Elevate your concert experience with a delicious array of culinary delights, brought to you by Foodie Crew. Indulge your taste buds each Thursday with food options from all around the Bay Area. From savory to sweet, there’s something for every palate. Want to know the food options ahead of time? Visit www.foodiecrew.com.
August 7 – Nzuri Soul
Country loving, R&B, Soul-Rock singer Nzuri Soul will perform Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. Source: City of Antioch.
Born in Texas, raised in the Bay Area, Nzuri Soul is a Country loving, R&B/Soul-Rock singer based in California who has made a name for herself over the course of her ten-year career in the music industry with her powerful vocals, songwriting, and entertaining stage presence. She has released three full albums as well as a holiday album.
Nzuri Soul is no stranger to performing at iconic California venues like Oakland’s Fox Theatre, House of Blues (Los Angeles, New Orleans & Las Vegas), The Fenix Club, The Empress Theater, Journey Theatre Vacaville, Downtown Theatre Fairfield, Marina Lounge, and Vino Winery just to name a few. In the last few years Nzuri Soul and her band have had several sold-out tribute shows at Yoshi’s Oakland to Aaliyah, Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.
Nzuri Soul and her band have been awarded NCEMA “R&B Band of the Year” 2018 & 2019, “Entertainer of the Year” 2019 & 2020 BMA “R&B Female Singer of the Year” and “Best Female Live Performer.” Nzuri Soul and her band are known for bringing a tight knit, all in dance party and her shows are always dedicated to the fans that have kept her career a success. www.instagram.com/nzurisoulbandwww.instagram.com/nzurisoulmusic
Date: Saturday, August 2, 2025 Time: 3:00pm-7:00pm Location: Prewett Family Park Hillside
By City of Antioch Recreation Department
In partnership with Bay Area Backyard Movement, the City of Antioch Recreation Department is excited to present our fourth annual Multicultural Festival. Highlighting cultural diversity and community engagement, this event features live performances, vendors, a kids’ zone filled with games and activities, food and so much more!
Embrace diverse cultures through captivating performances, mouthwatering cuisines, and immersive activities. It’s a day of unity, exploration, and embracing our global community as residents from various backgrounds come together to share and showcase their unique heritage, customs, art, music, food and more.
Bay Area Backyard Movement is a community organization whose goal is to provide a positive atmosphere that gives small businesses the opportunity to network, bring communities together, and create an enjoyable shopping experience for everyone. The Backyard Movement mission is to inspire every vendor customer throughout their many events across the Bay Area – it’s always community and collaboration, never competition.
Backyard Movement has partnered with the City of Antioch to bring an annual Multicultural Festival to our community, and now, a monthly market for all to enjoy. Learn more about Bay Area Backyard Movement when you follow them on Instagram @thebackyardmovement.
Start Time: Dusk (approximately between 8:30pm and 8:45pm)
Location: Prewett Family Park Hillside (Located next to the Antioch Water Park)
This year’s final free outdoor movie night will be held Thursday, July 31, 2025, with the showing of Holes (2003) (Rated: PG | Runtime: 118 minutes.
Grab your blankets and lawn chairs, and bring the entire family out to enjoy popcorn, kids’ crafts and a movie. Happening on the Prewett Family Park Hillside, next to the Antioch Water Park, movies will begin just after dusk (approximately 8:30pm-8:45pm depending on sunset).
Did we mention it will also be Food Truck Thursday, brought to you by FoodieCrewSF?! Don’t forget to grab dinner before the movie begins! You won’t want to miss this.
**Free parking, popcorn, refreshments, and kids’ arts & crafts while supplies last.
Dirty Cello cellist, Rebecca Roudman and guitarist, Jason Eckl will perform in El Sobrante next Tuesday night. Photo by J. Mijares
A “truly…sensory experience” by the band Dirty Cello at a farm in El Sobrante
Pick and taste blackberries, peaches, more before the show
Not Loud Concerts presents “Blues & Botanicals” concert by the band Dirty Cello on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 7:00 pm at Cloverfield Organic Farm in El Sobrante.
Nestled in the hills of El Sobrante is a unique farm that is lending us a field to put on a blues themed show that we’re calling “Blues & Botanicals”. Arrive early and visit the farm to pick peaches, blackberries and more, or just wander the paths. Explore at your own pace or let farmer Michael take you around and tell you about the orchard and garden, all the produce, and has you taste a wide variety of common and uncommon plants. Truly a sensory experience. There’s even a horse to pet!
Photo by Cloverfield Organic Farm.
As sunset approaches we’ll meet in the event space field for a not too loud concert of acoustic blues music provided, plus a special guest for about an hour. Bring a blanket if you want, but chairs will be provided. There are rustic bathrooms, and no need to dress up for this show – come casual with good footwear and maybe a hat.
Not Loud Concerts is a project all about creating unique and fun places for people to enjoy music that’s not too loud, not too long, and not too expensive.
The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and the gardens will be open at 6:00 p.m. for visitin’ and pickin’.
Fresh peaches and more available for the pickin’. Photo by Cloverfield Organic Farm.
About Not Loud Concerts
What Sets Us Apart: Not Loud Concerts was inspired by numerous jokes on the internet about wanting to go see a concert that was, “Not too loud, not too late, not too long and not too expensive.”
With this idea in mind, Not Loud Concerts was created to showcase music based on the following principles:
Not too loud
Comfortable seating
No hidden fees or crazy ticket prices
Good parking whenever possible
Not too long
These concerts are created for the enjoyment of the audience and are not based on old traditions.
What to expect: At a Not Loud Concert the band will perform for around an hour with no intermission. The concerts will feature outstanding musicians performing in a lightly amplified manner with primarily acoustic instruments. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.
Each concert will be audio recorded and emailed to the ticket purchaser about 2 weeks after the show.
From Iceland to Italy, and all over the U.S., San Francisco based band Dirty Cello brings the world a high energy and unique spin on blues, rock, and Americana. Led by vivacious cross-over cellist, Rebecca Roudman, Dirty Cello is cello like you’ve never heard before. From down home blues and rock with a wailing cello to virtuosic stompin’ Americana, Dirty Cello is a band that gets your heart thumping and your toes tapping!
“Dirty Cello’s music is all over the map: funky, carnival, romantic, sexy, tangled, electric, fiercely rhythmic, and textured, and only occasionally classical.” – Oakland Magazine
“The group seamlessly careens from blues to bluegrass and rock in a way that really shouldn’t make sense but somehow does.” – LA Times
“Anyone who’s been in an audience when the San Francisco Bay Area Dirty Cello takes the stage knows that something unique happens whenever cellist Rebecca Roudman and ensemble come face to face with living, breathing (and whooping and shouting) fans.” – Strings Magazine
“Dirty Cello have been hard to describe, apart from saying that a cello (played in ways you won’t quite believe) is involved, and the range of music takes the word eclectic and supercharges it to meltdown levels of energy and invention. The ensemble plays a range of eclectic tunes in ways you won’t hear anyone else dare to attempt.” – Argus Courier
Antioch 2025 Independence Day – July 4th Celebration. All photos by Allen D. Payton
To celebrate signing of Declaration of Independence and nation’s 249th birthday
Parade winners announced,U.S. Senator makes appearance, SWAT’s presence explained
By Allen D. Payton
Hundreds of Antioch residents lined the streets of historic, downtown Rivertown on Independence Day, during the annual celebration Friday afternoon, to enjoy the July 4th Parade, Kids and Family Zone, food from local restaurants and food trucks, live music by “Sade of the Bay”, the Ariel Marin Band, and The Purple Ones – Prince Tribute Band who ended their performance with a solid rendition of Purple Rain to the delight of the crowd in Waldie Plaza, as the fireworks show over the river began about 9:20 p.m.
During a break in the music, Mayor Ron Bernal thanked those who gathered for the celebration.
Thousands gathered on the Promenade and Uril E. “Compy” Compomizzo Fishing Pier along the Antioch waterfront to enjoy the show shot from the barge on the river. It floated too far east and had to be called to head back west just in time for the spectacular grand finale. (See video)
Source: City of Antioch Recreation Department
2025 Antioch Independence Day – July 4th Parade Winners
The three Antioch Independence Day – July 4th Parade Judges, Assistant City Manager Brad Helfenberger, former Antioch School Board Trustee Alonzo Terry, and Rivertown Treasure Chest co-owner and Downtown Antioch Association leader Debbie Blaisure, determined the following winners in each category:
“Three very deserving winners!” Blaisure said. “The crew did a great job working together,” Terry added.
Antioch 2025 July 4th Parade judges, Brad Helfenberger, Alonzo Terry, and Debbie Blaisure.
In a post on the Antioch Recreation Department’s Instagram page City staff wrote, “Thank you so much to every single one of our parade participants!”
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff made an appearance in the parade while Antioch Police SWAT members watch along the route.
Senator Schiff Shows Up, SWAT’s Presence Seen
During the parade, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) participated, waving to the crowd while walking with a group holding signs with his name on them.
Some people speculated he was the reason for the Antioch Police Department SWAT Team’s presence along the parade route and throughout the celebration. However, according to Lt. Mike Mellone, that wasn’t the case.
More politicians plus, some protesters participated in the parade. (Upper left) Antioch District 3 Councilman Don Freitas, (top right) one side of the protest sign in red pants is District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, (bottom left) Assemblywoman Anamarie Avila-Farias (D-Martinez) and (bottom right) District 4 County Supervisor Shanell Scales-Preston.
“We had planned for a tactical presence at the parade well before we were made aware of Senator Schiff’s attendance. This decision was based on the elevated threat environment tied to ongoing world events, as well as adherence to best practices for securing large-scale public gatherings,” he shared.
“There were no specific or credible threats made in advance of the event. Our department worked closely with regional and federal partners to monitor for any potential risks and ensure the safety of all attendees,” Mellone added.
The grand finale. Video screenshots by Allen D. Payton
Best seats for view of the Antioch fireworks show over the river!
Got no 4th of July plans?
Head to #monicasriverview Monica’s Riverview for a star-spangled night of food, music, and fireworks! Brunch and lunch in the Dining Room until 5pm.
Cuco’s Tacos outside on the water 4-9pm.
Bar Open All Day. Plus, Pour Up Wine Bar.
Entertainment by DJ AP – Anthony Perez 1-5pm, DJ AG Beats 5-9pm.
Fireworks show expected about 9:30pm.
Adults $10 (includes beverage ticket), Children $5
Monica’s Riverview is located at 1 I (Eye) Street on the pier in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. See their complete menu at www.visitmonicas.com.
