With Plank Gone, Jack London Square's November Gathers at the Plaza by Scott's Seafood

Some of Jack London Square's own event pages still describe their locations as "near Plank." The farmers market listing points shoppers to "Water Steet, Near PLANK," and older copy on the Holiday Tree Lighting page puts the event "in the Plaza near Plank." The location line at the bottom of that same tree-lighting page says something else: "In the Plaza By Scott's Seafood."

The pages haven't caught up with the waterfront. This is the square's first November and first holiday kickoff since the bowling venue closed. Nearly every event on the November calendar happens at the plaza by Scott's, and the free boat to Alameda docks right next to it. With weekday ferry service across the estuary cut back for the month, that corner is where you'll spend November.

The landmark that moved

Plank, the oversized bowling and entertainment venue at 98 Broadway, announced in late spring that it would close after nearly 12 years. Its last day was Aug. 2, 2026. As The Mercury News reported, the business blamed "persistent and significant drops in sales" over two years and "steadily rising costs." The closure came about a month after Dave & Buster's opened down the block at 55 Harrison St. The San Francisco Chronicle separately reported the same closing date and the same reasons.

Plank's farewell post, quoted in the Mercury News piece, read:

"What started as 'Oakland's own' became so much more because of this incredible community."

Plank wasn't the first to go. The same article lists the Dokkaebier brewery, the Seawolf pub and the Waterfront Hotel among recent departures. Retail leasing questions at the square go to CIM Group, which the Port of Oakland named Jack London Square's master lessee in 2016.

A month of dates at one plaza

The square's free public events this November are all set at or beside the plaza by Scott's Seafood:

1. Sunday, Nov. 1, 1 to 3 p.m.: Día de los Muertos Family Fun Fest. Chalk artists create Día de los Muertos art live, with performances by Mexican folklórico dancers and a mariachi band, plus a kids' costume contest and crafts while supplies last.
2. Every Sunday, 2 to 3 p.m.: free yoga with Nadia on the lawn near Scott's during the farmers market. No sign-up is needed. Bring a mat.
3. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.: Community Blood Drive.
4. Saturday, Nov. 28, 5:45 to 8 p.m.: Holiday Tree Lighting. Santa lights the tree, followed by two laser light shows set to holiday music and then a faux snowfall. Oaktown Jazz Workshops and the Lyric Performing Arts Academy perform. It's free, with no registration.

One correction for your calendar: older text lower on the tree-lighting page says "Saturday, November 29th." In 2026, Nov. 29 is a Sunday. The Saturday date, and the one in the page header, is Nov. 28.

The Sunday market keeps the corner busy every week

Between those dates, the weekly draw is the Jack London Square Farmers Market on Water Street, run by the Golden State Farmers Market Association every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The season's last market is Dec. 13. The square lists Dec. 20 and Dec. 27 as excluded dates. That leaves seven market Sundays after this post publishes, and the first one, Nov. 1, overlaps with the Día de los Muertos festival.

The market added a free Play Zone on Sept. 27, near the stage and fountain in Broadway Plaza. Put it together and a family can spend a Sunday afternoon in a small stretch of waterfront: produce on Water Street, a play area by the fountain, and a yoga hour on the lawn near Scott's.

The market also feeds the storefronts nearby. Carlyle's Chicken Wings started at farmers markets in Jack London Square and Tracy less than a year before soft-opening a storefront at 439 Water St. at the end of July, Oaklandside reported. The wings come in dry rub Cajun, bbq sweet and Louisiana hot honey. In that same item, founder Jamale Carlyle said he planned to add garlic butter rice, fruit bowls and halal wings. Two doors over in the directory, Cajun Bay Sweets is listed at 423 Water St. under a "coming soon" label, with no opening date posted.

Those two join the year's other arrivals nearby. SFGATE's July roundup covered Cenaduria Elvira at 468 Third St., which opened in February, Kitsch Coffee at 590 Second St., open since May, and Reem's California's Jack London Square location, which opened in June. It hasn't been all openings. Home of Chicken and Waffles at 247 4th St. closed at the end of August after operating in Oakland since 2004, according to Berkeleyside.

In November, the dock beside Scott's does more of the work

The plaza's other role is transit. The Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle docks at the public dock at the foot of Broadway, "just west of Scott's Restaurant," according to the City of Alameda. It crosses to the public dock at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, at the north end of Fifth Street near Target in Alameda Landing. The ride takes about seven minutes and is free, with no ticket or Clipper tap. Each boat carries up to 31 passengers and 14 bikes, cargo bikes included. If the line is longer than 31, you wait for the next boat.

That boat matters more this month because of San Francisco Bay Ferry's Nov. 2 schedule change:

• Weekday Alameda Short Hop service between Oakland and Main Street Alameda is suspended Nov. 1 through Nov. 30, tied to the South San Francisco route's suspension for terminal dredging. It resumes Tuesday, Dec. 1. On weekends, the Short Hop still runs only eastbound, from Main Street Alameda to Oakland.
• Starting Monday, Nov. 2, weekday Oakland ferries to downtown San Francisco no longer stop at Main Street Alameda.
• Evening San Francisco departures from Oakland change. New westbound trips leave at 6:00, 6:30, 7:35 and 10:05 p.m. The 5:55 a.m., 6:20, 6:55, 8:05 and 9:50 p.m. trips are eliminated.
• The Water Shuttle's schedule stays the same.

That leaves the shuttle as the only scheduled weekday boat between Jack London Square and Alameda through Nov. 30. It runs Tuesday through Sunday, with no service on Mondays, so on November Mondays no scheduled ferry crosses between Oakland and Alameda at all.

Here are the shuttle's first and last departures from its current timetable, dated March 10, 2026:

These are bookends, not continuous service. On Tuesdays through Thursdays, the timetable has a break during the 9 a.m. hour, and departures are spaced unevenly through the day. Holidays are another thing to check before you go. The city's FAQ says the shuttle skipped Thanksgiving last year, and Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26 this year, so check SF Bay Ferry's holiday schedule before planning a holiday crossing. The service itself is secure for now. The City of Alameda's July 23 announcement said the shuttle's second phase is funded through June 2028, backed by Alameda CTC grants and private partners.

Matching the plaza's calendar to the boat's

The plaza and the dock share a corner, so the timing is easy to line up.

On Sunday, Nov. 1, the farmers market opens at 11 a.m., the Día de los Muertos festival runs from 1 to 3 p.m., and yoga on the lawn goes from 2 to 3 p.m. Friends coming from Alameda can take the shuttle, which leaves Alameda Landing several times an hour through the afternoon, and step off just west of Scott's. On weekends the Short Hop still brings riders from Main Street Alameda into Oakland, but it doesn't run back.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, a weekday, the blood drive runs from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The shuttle is the only boat option from Alameda that day, and its Tuesday timetable runs through the lunch hour.

On Saturday, Nov. 28, the tree lighting ends at 8 p.m. The last weekend shuttles leave Oakland at 8:05, 8:27, 9:03 and 9:25 p.m., which gives Alameda guests time to watch the faux snow and still make a boat home from the same dock.

If you'd like help picturing how the square's waterfront calendar fits your week, or you want local context before a move along the estuary, East Bay Digs is happy to help. Get a free neighborhood consultation with Sharon, who has followed Jack London Square's changes since 2006.