Before the first note, there is a stage to build.
Lyrical Opposition took part in the 55th Annual Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, held September 5–6, 2026, in downtown Millbrae. Our involvement included the Art Zone Stage, listed by San Mateo County alongside the City of Millbrae and Atelier for Healing.
Inside the Art Zone Stage.
The Art Zone Stage was advertised at 25 Hillcrest Boulevard in Millbrae, with programming from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both September 5 and 6. The free-admission festival invitation placed art, wine, live music, gourmet food, crafts, and family activities over Labor Day weekend.
The stage poster brought together SIY Gallery, Atelier for Healing, and Lyrical Opposition. Its announced lineup included Carlos Kookie Gonzalez, Pam Totah, Mitsuko, Mario Guitron, Stephen Symour, Nobu Kaji, Elisa Solei, Reverbed Soul, Jae Coca, DJ Mikeazy, Cross Allan, Fego Navarro, and Kerry Doss. The poster also indicated that more artists would be announced.
That wider program gives context to the preparation captured in our reel: the sound equipment and canopy were part of a shared space for visual artists, musicians, and the festival community.
See the Art Zone Stage announcement and lineup
The invitation to Millbrae.
Our festival invitation welcomed neighbors to the Art Zone Stage over Labor Day weekend. Watch the original invitation below.
Watch the festival invitation on YouTube
Making room for the music.
Our stage setup reel offers a brief look at the work behind that gathering. Equipment comes out of its covers. A frame takes shape. Speakers, cables, and the sound station find their places beneath the canopy, with the Lyrical Opposition backdrop behind them.
These are the moments that happen before an audience gathers: practical, collaborative work that makes a space ready for artists. The reel follows that preparation, keeping the focus on the people and hands bringing the stage together.
Watch the stage come together.
Watch the stage setup reel on YouTube
The setup brought together DJ Mikeazy (@dj.mikeazy), Fego Navarro (@fegonavarro), @mtejuco, and our intern, Mateo, with our partners at Atelier for Healing. We set up in front of Pape Meat Co. (@papemeatco and @papemeat_millbrae) and @bacchuswsbyqj in Millbrae.
Filming and editing: @visualprophets.
Part of a larger gathering.
The festival brought art, music, food, and neighbors to Broadway Avenue over Labor Day weekend. Within that wider celebration, the Art Zone Stage offered another place for creative expression to be part of public life.
For Lyrical Opposition, helping prepare that space connects directly to our mission: bringing artists and communities together through music, poetry, film, and education. A stage begins with equipment and a place to set it down. Its purpose is to make room for people to share what they create.
Thank you, Millbrae.
Thank you to everyone who helped bring the setup together, and to the artists, organizers, and neighbors who made the weekend possible. We are grateful to have been part of the Art Zone Stage alongside Atelier for Healing and the City of Millbrae.
Explore the work behind our gatherings or connect with Lyrical Opposition about future collaborations.
Festival details: Millbrae Chamber of Commerce. Art Zone Stage listing: County of San Mateo. Featured image: a still from our stage setup reel.