OakCatVidFest at Great Wall of Oakland Set for 5/10

Thousands of cat-lovers and friends will be laughing aloud in Uptown Oakland on Saturday, May 10, as the internet's funniest cat videos are projected onto The Great Wall's 100'x100' urban canvas. The premiere of the highly-acclaimed and brand new #catvidfest curated by The Walker Art Center culminates the second annual Save a Kitten at OakCatVidFest, a day full of celebrating all things cats.

The successful 2013 OakCatVidFest drew over 6,000 fans, resulting in $15,000 donated to the East Bay SPCA and other rescue groups. The event caught the attention of the international media and prompted Mayor Jean Quan to name the day "Internet Cat Video Day" in Oakland. Such success prompted the organizers to bring the festival back with an even stronger focus on saving the lives of pre-weaned kittens.

Before May 10, the goal is to sign up 100 new kitten foster parents with the dozen participating animal shelters, including the East Bay SPCA, the festival's beneficiary. Each spring, shelters are flooded with litters of pre-weaned kittens who need families to bottle feed and care for the animals until they are old enough to be put up for adoption. All kitten foster parents who register with one of the participating shelters receive two free tickets to the festival.

On May 10 West Grand Ave. between Telegraph and Broadway will transform for a spring day into a cat-lover's wonderland with cats and kittens available for adoption, cat and art projects for the whole family, a plethora of cat-themed vendors, celebrity cats, live bands and delicious food and refreshing beverages. The Great Wall of Oakland's artists in residence, Bandaloop, will debut an aerial dance off the 100' wall just prior to the video showing at 8:30

The festival runs from 3-10 p.m. with the video starting after sunset. Tickets now on sale range from $5-$10 with children under 3 years free. Reserved and VIP seating is $50-$75.

Save A Kitten at OakCatVidFest is generously sponsored by Pet Food Express and its Save A Kitten program with proceeds benefitting the East Bay SPCA. Other local partners include 96.5 KOIT and Big Heart Brands - Meow Mix and 9Lives.

Participating shelters include East Bay SPCA, Feral Cat Foundation, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter, Island Cat Resources and Adoption, Cat Town, Hopalong/Second Chance Animal Rescue, Maine Coon Adoptions and Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation.

To purchase tickets, reserve vendor booth and for all festival information visit www.oaklandcatvidfest.com.