About this vendor
Based in Oakland, CA, DJ Big Cali is a wedding DJ and entertainer. After your "I do" it's time to hit the dancefloor. With the help of this skilled DJ, yours can be a party that keeps everyone on their feet.
DJ Big Cali is a Bay Area native, drawing his lively energy from the atmosphere in this artistic locale. Priding himself on his ability to bring people together through music, DJ Big Cali knows how to engage a crowd and keep them entertained all night long. Also a skilled MC, this versatile entertainer can assist throughout your celebration.
You and your partner can sit down and discuss your tastes at a consultation with DJ Big Cali. Find music to suit your style from his impressive collection ranging in genre from Christian and country to R&B, oldies, pop, and more. This experienced performer provides his own equipment at each event, including microphones audiovisual, and lighting equipment. You can even avail of a photo booth to create special memories with keepsakes to take home when the day has ended.
Please refer to Dj Big Cali's wedding wire, yelp, or website(www.djbigcali.com) for reviews as he is new to the knot
Details
Business Attributes
- Black-owned Business
Equipment
- Audio/Visual Equipment
- Sound Equipment
Music Genres
- African
- Bollywood
- Country
- Dance
- Disco
- EDM
Music Services
- MC Services
- Recorded Music
- Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
- Wedding
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
4-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2026.2025.2024.2023.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.037 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
DJ Big Cali is such a vibe! I received so many compliments from our guests about his presence, his music, his interaction with everyone! If I could give more stars I would! I also ...
have had people tell me they are going to hire him whenever they get married. Also, talking with him before, prepping, any questions we had, he answered immediately. He is so attentive, truly wants to represent you, and cares about your moment. His wife also helps him with events and she is so sweet!
Booking James for our wedding was the best decision we made in our planning process! The music and dance floor were really important to us - we wanted someone who knew how to keep ...
the PARTY going all night long! And James was it - our dance floor was literally packed for 3 hours straight. He is extremely professional, flexible, communicative, and is really focused on making your day exaclty as you want it. We got to pick the music for every section of the wedding and he even made a personal mix for my father/daughter dance with my Dad. Don't hesitate in booking him! Truly we had the time of our lives.
Thank you James!! You can see how hard we partied below.
We HIGHLY recommend booking DJ Big Cali for your wedding! He brought the energy and the vibe throughout the entire wedding day. The dance floor was never empty and that’s entirely ...
thanks to his ability to read the crowd, mix seamlessly, and keep the vibes high. We had a few Turkish songs we wanted to play and were a little nervous at how everything would flow together. But DJ Big Cali did not miss a beat and made everything flow while keeping the energy high!
We were looking for a DJ who would not only play amazing music but also emcee the evening and help the flow of the wedding. From our first interaction with DJ Big Cali, we knew we wanted to book him. His energy is infectious and he is extremely professional and kind! His pricing was a little bit more than we wanted to spend but we absolutely got what we paid for and he was worth every penny!! Also loved that he had the option to add on the photo booth, which our guests really enjoyed!
Our guests are still telling us how much fun they had at our wedding and we owe that in huge part to DJ Big Cali leading the day! He is the best of the best and we cannot recommend him enough!
Where do we even begin?! DJ Big Cali (James) was hands-down one of the BEST decisions we made for our wedding! From the very first call, James' bright, thoughtful demeanor and deep...
knowledge of both weddings and music instantly put us at ease. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but James brought back the excitement we were starting to lose. He didn’t just play music—he brought joy, energy, and clarity to the entire process.
From that initial conversation, we knew we were in expert hands. He listened to our vision, asked thoughtful questions we hadn’t even considered, and guided us toward the best decisions for our perfect day. The entire process felt seamless and stress-free, and that was 100% because of James.
On the day of the wedding, he showed up early, efficiently set up, and was ready to go before we were. That level of professionalism is rare—and so appreciated! But what truly blew us away was the music. It was PERFECT. Every moment—ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing—felt like it was scored to the soundtrack of our love story. It was like he could read our minds. He played everything we requested and filled in the gaps with songs we hadn’t thought of but fit the vibe exactly.
DJ Big Cali’s energy was electric and genuine, and his ability to engage everyone—from our youngest cousins to our grandparents—was nothing short of magical. People are still telling us how incredible our DJ was, and we couldn’t agree more. He wasn’t just our DJ—he was our hype man, MC, and musical guide. Truly, a connoisseur of all things sound and celebration.
And to add the cherry on top—James partnered with the best photobooth attendant, Destinee from SnapdChronicles. Her friendly, welcoming, and professional vibe made our guests feel so comfortable and excited, many took multiple photos! She managed the little ones who wanted their time to shine and gently helped position our elders to make sure they were perfectly framed.
Together, DJ Big Cali and Destinee were the Dynamic DUO. The energy, coordination, and care they brought made our day even more memorable.
James, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You brought life, rhythm, and joy to our day in a way that words can’t fully capture. We are forever grateful. If anyone is looking for the BEST DJ experience for their wedding—look no further than DJ Big Cali.
I was lucky enough to find out about DJ Big Cali from a friend of mine who went to high school with him. I told my friend I'm looking for the best DJ money can buy for my wedding. ...
I met with Cali to discuss my interest and was greeted like family. After booking him he made it very easy to customize my experience and I began to hype him up to all of the guests on my wedding list. To say the least he exceeded our expectations and ended up being one of the highlights of our special day. As long as you tell him what you need to, Big Cali will deliver. Money well spent and I would recommend him to anyone hosting an event in need of a DJ.
We couldn’t have asked for a better DJ for our wedding this past May! From the moment the reception started, he brought incredible energy, read the room perfectly, and had everyone...
on the dance floor — from our grandparents to our oldest friends. He didn’t just play music — he was the life of the party!
The transitions were flawless, the playlist was on point, and he took guest requests like a pro while still keeping the vibe exactly how we wanted it. People are still talking about how amazing our DJ was — we’ve gotten so many compliments from guests saying it was the most fun wedding they’ve ever been to, and he played a huge part in that.
If you're looking for someone who can truly elevate your celebration and create unforgettable memories, look no further. This DJ made our night absolutely epic. Highly, highly recommend!
*He also included a great PA system, lighting, and photobooth
We had DJ Big Cali DJ our wedding in May and we’re so impressed with his skill, professionalism and commitment to our event. He had an app to prepare for our big day that was very ...
user friendly, we also had a zoom call with him when the date got closer. It was so reassuring to have the zoom call to all get on the same page and get excited for our big day! The day of the event everything went smoothly, he really brought the party and our guests loved it! Would 100% recommend DJ Big Cali.
James set the tone for our wedding! My whole family mentioned how good of a DJ we had. He knew how to get everyone dancing and definitely matched the vibe everyone was feeling. Eve...
n the first phone call I knew off the bat it was going to be a good time, his communication and just talking with James over the phone to plan everything is just a vibe. Thank you for keeping that energy up through out the wedding and glad we went with you! I definitely recommend booking.
DJ Big Cali made our wedding so fun! We knew instantly from our informational call that James would be the guy for us; If he brought such great energy over a call, we knew he would...
carry the vibes for our wedding reception and he did just that! Even our friends raved and asked for his information which we happily shared. He was kind and charismatic, and he understood how to read our crowd. He got us on the dance floor, and played songs we requested in advance and mixed in songs we love and totally forgot to include as well.
We found DJ Big Cali because he was the DJ for a friend's wedding reception. We had so much fun that I took his business card before leaving at the end of the night.
2 years later...
, I pulled out his card again and had him do MY wedding ceremony and reception.
We all had an amazing time and danced the night away. I can't recommend him enough.
James was a pleasure to work with. From the very second he answered the phone for our consultation call, he exuded the high amount of energy you would expect from a wedding DJ. He ...
deeply cared about our vision and genre preferences. We were also able to get cold sparklers through him for our grand entrance, which came out absolutely stellar. When he was emceeing for the evening, he spoke with great clarity, enthusiasm, and professionalism. Many of our guests complimented his song selection, mixing style, and his ability to keep the energy going. James was an integral part of our memorable night. We are thankful he pulled everything off without a hitch. We highly recommend him for your event!
Would 1000% recommend DJ Big Cali! Everything was amazing for our wedding and our guests loved his playlists. Before the wedding, we were given instructions on how to upload musi...
c to an app along with questions for our wedding timeline/party. This made it super easy to share what kind of music we like and what we were planning on for our big day. I also appreciated that this could be done at any time we wanted until a week before the wedding- my husband and I have very different work schedules so doing things this way made it a lot easier for us. Before our wedding, we had a phone call just to review the day which eased my wedding stress. He was very communicative, responsive, and accommodating to the different things we wanted to plan. On the day, everything was perfect and moved smoothly through our ceremony and reception. He definitely kept our party going! It was fun, amazing and many moments that we won't forget
We had the absolute pleasure of having DJ Big Cali at our wedding, and he was nothing short of amazing. From the moment the reception started, he knew exactly how to get people on ...
the dance floor and, more importantly, how to keep them there. It was clear that he was reading the crowd and tailoring his music selections to the vibe of the night.
Leading up to the wedding, DJ Big Cali was incredibly communicative, which gave us so much peace of mind. We had two medleys—one for our first dance and one for the father-daughter dance—and DJ Big Cali was kind enough to cut and mash up the music well in advance so we could practice to it. This extra effort really showed his dedication to making our day special.
Not only was he a fantastic DJ, but he also served as our MC and kept everything running smoothly according to the timeline we had set. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and highly recommend DJ Big Cali to anyone looking for a DJ who truly understands how to create a memorable celebration!
Where do I even begin? DJ Big Cali, also known as James, is an absolute game-changer when it comes to wedding entertainment. From the moment we first connected with him, his infect...
ious energy and professionalism set the tone for what would be an unforgettable experience.
James not only brought the party to life with his incredible DJ skills but also acted as the ultimate host and MC, guiding our guests through the evening with seamless transitions and just the right amount of charisma. With a guest list spanning ages 25 to 70 and representing both the East and West Coasts, James effortlessly catered to everyone's musical tastes, keeping the dance floor packed all night long.
What truly set James apart was his unwavering commitment to making our wedding day perfect. When a planned moment didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped, James took it upon himself to ensure that we got the experience we had envisioned, going above and beyond to make it happen. As a bride, feeling seen and supported in that moment meant the world to me, and it's a testament to James's dedication to his craft and his clients.
I have no doubt that our wedding wouldn't have been nearly as fun or memorable without James. And to those considering whether to invest in additional entertainment, let me save you the trouble: with James, you don't need a band, violinist, harpist, or any of that stuff. He is more than ENOUGH to make your event truly spectacular.
Thank you, James, for making our wedding day the party of a lifetime! Our guest are still talking about our wedding day!
Absolutely outstanding! You must go with DJ Big Cali for your wedding! He created an unforgettable atmosphere with a perfect mix of music. From the ceremony to the dance floor, the...
transitions were seamless, and the energy was contagious. Professional, accommodating, and exceeded our expectations. Our guests are still raving about the fantastic music. He helped us create unforgettable memories that we’ll talk about for a lifetime.Highly recommend for anyone seeking a DJ who truly understands how to elevate a celebration. We will be using him for big events moving forward and recommending him to all friends and family.
James aka DJ BIG CALI is a great emcee and DJ.
I have had the pleasure to work with James on several occasions specifically for corporate events and he knocks it out of the park ...
every time. While corporate events are a little bit difficult to get people to dance he always brings the fun vibes and great ambiance.
While in the process we had a lot of changes and adjustments that needed to be done on our behalf, like adding lights, and other tedious administrative duties but, James handled everything seamlessly with great patience and grace.
Anytime I get asked about a DJ in the bay, it'll be DJ BIG CALI, every time. James is highly skilled and great person overall. Highly recommend.
DJ Big Cali was a phenomenal choice for our wedding. We were married on October 27th (outdoor wedding/indoor reception) and it was perfect! Cali made sure the music for each part w...
as correct and the timing for each part was perfect. And of course, everyone had an amazing time dancing at the reception, which was very important to us. In addition, every time I had questions/needed contacts for other vendors, he was there to answer our questions and connect us with the right people! Super helpful and just a fun, reliable and genuine person!! Thank you, DJ Big Cali!!
~T and E. Harris
I can't say enough amazing things about James! I've worked with him professionally over the years and I knew I had to hire him to be my wedding DJ. He handled all aspects of the ev...
ent seamlessly and everyone we talk to after always says "and your DJ was amazing!!" The dance floor was packed the entire night, even though we had over 2 hours of open dancing. He was respectful when I had a friend insist she needed to get on the mic, I told him it was ok and he handled it like a champ. I hope I get to attend another wedding where James is the DJ!
Services provided were ceremony sound, cocktail hour, reception and dancing music as well as MC'ing various parts of the event. Also providing dance floor lights.
LOVED DJ Big Cali. He is like a pillar of cool, positive chill vibes when you're in the wedding day whirlwind. I think for him DJing is an art. We had a small, intimate wedding but...
his energy and mixing got people to let loose on the dance floor.
His voice is like velvet, he is reliable, SO skillful at mixing, has amazing uplighting skills. You should hire him.
James DJ'd our wedding at Great American Music Hall and absolutely crushed it! He kept the party moving on the mic and did a two and a half hour dance mix that was just non-stop. I...
t was everything we could have hoped for. We even had many of our guests ask where we found him! DJ Big Cali is so awesome!
We had the pleasure of working with Dj BigCali for our wedding last weekend. Let me just start by saying we have never worked with a Dj who was more professional, organized, had a ...
positive and uplifting energy to him, and showed genuine interest in making sure we had an amazing event catered to our specific crowd. He had a nice clean Dj booth setup with lights which helped add to the ambiance of our event, and he also helped host our event by keeping the program moving along. We honestly can't say enough good things about him. We had several guest come up to us after the wedding and rave about how on-point and amazing our Dj was! Having him as our Dj definitely made a big difference in the outcome of our wedding! We had a great time dancing until we were tired! I would no doubt use Dj BigCali again for any future events we have, we highly recommend him!!
DJ Big Cali was THE MAN!! We had an absolute blast at our wedding and a HUGE part to it was because of him. People are still going on and on about how much fun everything was espec...
ially the dancing! It could not have happened without him and I highly recommend him for any event you have!! His communication with us was also top quality and his energy he carried through the night was infectious! He made it so simple to relax and trust the process and just have the best time. 11/10 WOULD RECOMMEND!
DJ Big Cali RULES! He’s a stellar DJ and so much more. From the little things, like planning calls, to big things like my wedding day itself, he brought incredible energy, professi...
onalism and creativity to every moment. Made my wife and I so happy by setting the tone and ensuring the vibe of our big day was electric! Hire this guy; you’ll be happy you did!
DJ Big Cali, aka James, was absolutely amazing at our wedding!! He was so easy to work with and we had great communication before and after the wedding. His app is very thorough ...
and organized, we sent our playlist and he fully tailored the music to us and the crowd. James set up multiple sound systems for us to accommodate both ceremony and reception spaces. Throughout the entire event, James used his excellent MC skills to keep things on schedule but comfortable and fun. Would definitely recommend DJ Big Cali!!
As an Event Planner we work with so many event DJs and it is SO imperative to have a great Dj AND Emcee. You can't forget that last part, not just anyone can keep your guests and e...
vent flowing, it takes a special finesse. James was amazing, on time, ready to go, made all the announcements so that both our Hispanic and French guests in attendance knew what was next, and on top of it all kept the dancefloor going all night! We look forward to working with Dj Big Cali again real soon!
DJ Big Cali got our wedding guests to dance the ENTIRE night!! Our feet and voices are still recovering from such a great dance party. And he led our toasts and wedding party entra...
nces so well - everyone was energized! He also worked with us to do specific songs and dances and made the whole evening flow naturally. It was so fun working with DJ Big Cali!
Dj Big Cali worked our wedding this past weekend. He was ELITE at all parts of the game, including planning, emceeing, and running the dance floor. He provided a customized experie...
nce that was in line with our pre-wedding conversations. He injected energy when needed and faded to the background when appropriate. He played the Bay Area slaps. He was a consummate professional.
Where do we start?! DJ Big Cali by far exceeded expectations! We had a tough wedding with a mix of Indian music, Mexican music, EDM, old school rap, todays hits, etc. and DJ if Cal...
i absolutely rocked it with the mixes. I've been to many weddings and I've never seen the dance floor so hyped and full the entire time! He was very responsive leading up to our special day and brought the energy we wanted the entire time! He did so well with requests as well from guests. I've been to weddings where the DJ will brush off requests from guests but everyone got what they wanted. I'm still getting texts about how much we killed it at our wedding. Wouldn't want anyone else doing our wedding. Thank you so much!!
My husband and I got married on April 10, 2023 at the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA. DJ Big Cali (James) was our DJ and he literally MADE our wedding! Even the bart...
ender said it was the most lit Monday wedding he'd ever been to - and we definitely have to attribute that to James and the music.
Leading up to the big day, James was super professional and provided us with a planner app to track our timeline and songs for each part of the day, as well as track the minor details like names and pronunciations. A week before the date, we had a final meeting to review the timeline and discuss any outstanding questions, then he took it from there!
James was really great and understood the vibe of what we wanted for our big day. We really appreciate him making our special day even more special. If you're looking for a DJ for your wedding - PICK JAMES!
DJ Big Cali was a fantastic MC and DJ. He actually signed on with us when our other MC/DJ had to drop out very close to our wedding date. He took things over really easily, and mad...
e the whole process really fun. On the day of the wedding, he played all the right songs, at the perfect time, without a hitch, for everything from our wedding ceremony, to our cocktail hour, to open dancing, where he made the party happen! Would recommend him in a heartbeat.
I don’t even know where to begin. Dj Big Cali has been my go to referral dj for all of my friends, co workers, family. This guy has such a wide range of music. Different cultures, ...
settings, age. His energy and easy communication is what sets him apart from other dj’s. I highly recommend him to my peers knowing he will make me look good solely off his quality of work. I can’t say enough about how many people have told me how happy they were to roll with DJ Big Cali and that they have already referred him to other family and friends. Don’t think twice. Book this guy.
Our wedding was pure perfection and Dj Big Cali was a huge part in its success. Prior to the wedding day Big Cali took time out of his weekend to attend a sit visit scoping the see...
n for the big day. During the visit Big James took notes and even gave suggestions on up lighting colors that would compliment the venue. After the walkthrough he schedule a time to talk about songs and even scheduled a separate call so that I could tell him my entrance song as I wanted to keep it a surprise. On the day of the wedding Big Cali arrived early for set up and had the crowd dancing before dinner even began. He kept the dance floor packed all night. If you are looking for a Dj look no further!
DJ Cali was extremely professional. He held my wedding down. He has these amazing packages that comes with your choice of up lighting, walking on clouds, a monogram, mics, and mast...
er of ceremonies to name a few. Everything you will need to have a great event. Everyone was dancing and he played all the hits plus my recommendations. He has an app that allows the couple to add all of their music choices for each segment of the wedding (ceremony, reception, first dance, bridal party entrance etc..). This made it the song selection process so much easier and organized. I was also able to print my selections directly from the app to give to my wedding coordinator. I highly recommend Cali if you want a professional and high quality DJ.
I hired James aka DJ Big Cali for my 80 person wedding in Sonoma at MacArthur Place a few weekends ago and he GREATLY exceeded our expectations!
James loves what he does, and his ...
passion for his job feeds into the energy of the guests, which created such a great vibe and fun time on our special day. Afterwards, so many of our friends and guests commented about how amazing our DJ was. We felt we got really lucky to hire him.
James is really well organized, and helps his clients by giving them an easy to use app which helps build out a timeline for their event. While my fiance and I had a good idea of the genres and vibe we wanted, we also gave James free rein to play music he thought our crowd would like, and they loved it.
James also did a great job as an MC during our reception which was super helpful in making sure everything went smoothly while hyping up our guests at the same time. I highly recommend hiring James if you can, he knocked it out of the park.
I usually never post reviews but this one I had to!
HIRE HIM!! Best DJ in the Bay Area. My sister hired him for my graduation a few years ago and he knew exactly the music to play...
. I recently got married and I knew I needed to hire him. James is very punctual and works with you through every step of the way. We used an app to select music to play and it helped me create my wedding Itinerary. On the app you can also invite people to help add songs to Playlist which was a huge help. He stays on top of time and keeps the party going all night long!
Also, add the uplighting for your event, you won't regret it. Any future
event I am having I know who to reach out to! My husband and I had such an amazing night. Thanks for everything James!!
DJ Big Cali is the best! My wife and I couldn't be any happier with how our reception turned out in large part to Big Cali. He delivered on everything we asked for and then some. ...
The vibes were perfect as we even had folks grooving during dinner! I couldn't have asked for a better DJ on the biggest day of my life. From his transitions to his ability to connect with everyone, I can't imagine there being a better DJ. I will definitely be recommending him and booking him for future events.
Dj Cali was so easy to work with ! He was the greatest ! He provided an easy app to upload songs , timeline etc. The app was so efficient it ended up helping me organize my timel...
ine ! It worked out perfectly! As a bride it is always stressful leading up to the big day and on the big day . Dj cali continuously assured me that I didn’t need to worry about anything ! And it made me feel so at ease ! And true enough I didn’t have anything to worry about , he got there and set up and did everything he needed to do ! He made sure to play all our favorite songs! Everyone had a great time ! Thank you again Dj Cali !
Contact
San Francisco(Bay Area)
Dj Big Cali LLC