Cats are Internet gold. No one knows why, and most people have given up trying to understand. Maybe we don't want to delve into the deep-seated psychological issues that still compel us to watch the talking pattycake cats 10 times or tune into Maru's Youtube channel to see what the unflappable Japanese cat is up to today. Maybe we just want to watch some cats do weird stuff. And you know what? That's totally okay.

Now, the furry overlords of the Internet are coming to town, and an estimated 5,000+ cat people are expected to report to Oakland come Saturday evening for a festival celebrating the low-art of Internet cat videos. Watching cat videos is normally a solitary, late-night experience (the parallels with porn are obvious), but the Oakland Internet Cat Video Fest will unite the isolated cat-lover community in joyous celebration, just as last year's massive original festival in Minneapolis did (it even changed melted this Jezebel writer's cold heart).

The event will kick off mid-afternoon with musical performances, a costume contest and "the first ever aerial kittycat duet off the 100' Wall" (that would be the Great Wall of Oakland, a large-scale urban projection installation which will screen the videos). Expect cat adoption, "cativities" for kids and a cat meme themed photo booth, plus food trucks and a much-needed beer garden. All proceeds from the event benefit the East Bay SPCA, so

Saturday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
West Grand between Telegraph and Broadway

Until then, we leave you with Lil' Bub:

[OakCatVidFest]
[Jezebel]