Unlike festivals like Coachella and Lollapoalooza, many high school students have probably never heard of the 626 Night Market, an outdoor, Asian inspired bazaar with live music, food, merchandise sales, games, and so much more. The night market originated in 2012 where it was established as a sweeping market that was named after the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley. Although tasting new Asian foods is apart of the main experience at the Night Market, enjoying the live music, decorations, and Asian lanterns is another attraction.
As of 2023, the 626 Night Market is the largest of its kind in the United States. According to Kidskiddle.com, “Each 3-day night market event draws up to 100,000 attendees with more than 250 participating food, merchandise, and craft vendors, as well as art and music.” The event can be seen popping up multiple times a year usually during May through September. It is a great cheap way to spend your summer as entrance tickets are only $5 per person. I would recommend attendees to bring $30-$40 to spend on drinks and good. Although this may seem a lot, there are many food options and you can try a little bit of each which stretches the money with foods that are uncommon to get at other places.
To many people, the first look of this place may feel overwhelming due to the many options of food vendors and stalls that range from selling stickers, plushies, posters, to keychains and clothing patches. Most people spent their time making round trips around the entire market before settling on the vendors that caught their eyes. Then spending their money on what they chose.
The doors of the market are open from 4pm to midnight, but it’s always the busiest when the sun goes down and attendees can enjoy the cool air and lit up lanterns covering the vicinity of the out door market. The night market consists of many different types of Asian cuisine, ranging from Korean to Japanese food. Many people were seen eating kimbap, a type of Korean sushi, outside in black containers alongside their milk teas.
Walking through the entrance, people were met with a mix of different aromas. The smell of hot udon ramen hit those passing by. Looking around for some refreshments people followed the sound of ice cubes being stirred in large bottles filled with refreshing strawberry lemonade. There was live music playing and many people walking around as smoke from the grills filled the air. Influencers were taking pictures and posting food reviews on Tiktok.
There were numerous foods people could choose from, but one of the foods that was really enjoyed was the honey cone ice cream from Hawaii called Hokkaido. The cone is sweet and crispy, like a soft wafer and it was very peculiarly shaped, almost like a ‘J’. There were dollops of ice cream on both sides of the airy cone, which is perfect for sharing. Another favorite of customers was the boba at Coastal California. They make their drinks out of pure raw sugar cane, which you can see being cut, and blended right in front of your eyes.
The community was very diverse and atendees were able to meet many different types of people, allowing them to meet, talk, and interact with people from different backgrounds all sharing the same experience– trying foods at the Night market! Amongst the most memorable experiences were the Egyptian vendors selling their boba beverages. Their warm demeanor made it effortless to strike up engaging conversations and establish a genuine connection.
As the night concluded and the market grew dimmer, people headed down to the parking lot, listening to the live performances one last time, watching as people crowded around listening. Glancing around, it was obvious that people gathered from different backgrounds, each with our own unique stories and cultures to share. The night market served as a great event that brought together people and shared their collective heritage, particularly through cuisine.
