Cultures from across the globe center in OKC at the Asian Night Market Festival

Oklahoma City’s Asian District Cultural Association will host their annual Asian Night Market Festival on August 20. The event will be held around Military Park, located east of Classen Boulevard, between Northwest 24th Street and Northwest 25th Street from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m.

The festival has become known throughout the city for its showcase of Asian traditions in food, dance, music, martial arts, and more.

“Unbeknown to us, the first Asian Night Market Festival struck a chord with the community. It far exceeded our expectations with over 15,000 in attendance,” President of the Asian District Cultural Association, Mike Hoang said.

The festival hosted nearly 40,000 people in 2021.

In 2022, the market will host more than 50 vendors like Coop Ale Works, Full Moon Sage, Hawaiian Snow, Lucky Lucky Dumpling Company, and more. The festival will also showcase a variety of performances:

GQ Lion Dance — A Lion Dance team with synchronized routines and acrobatics to bring fortune and prosperity to the event and surrounding businesses.

Hưng Việt Lion Dance Association — A Vietnamese youth group, who also specializes in Lion Dance performances that promote Vietnamese culture throughout the Oklahoma City area.

Kanpai Japanese Taiko Drum Team — A nine-member team, coordinated by Aya Iwamoto of the Japan America Society of Oklahoma, that performs with Japanese percussion instruments. 

Finite Galaxy — A bilingual Hindi/English Hip Hop group from Oklahoma. 

Ben Rodgers — A Japanese Karate, Kobudo, and Laido demonstrator.

Nritya Arpan Dance School — Bharatanatyam and Indian folk dance performers.

K-Pop Dance Cover Groups — Groups like X2C Crew, LYT, and more performing popular K-Pop songs and dance. 

Additional performers are likely to join the lineup prior to the showcase on August 20. The Night Market will also include an eating contest, and a fashion show.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the fashion show is intended to inspire and entertain the next generation, while honoring the previous ones with two variations of the theme, "Where Are We Now?" The first section of the show will present models in traditional ensembles from a variety of Asian cultures worn by members of the community, while a second section will serve as a contemporary showcase, displaying the modern-day influence of the Asian diaspora through designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.

Asian District Cultural Association

The Asian District Cultural Association was established after an influx of immigrants settled in the United States, following the fall of Saigon in 1975. Many Vietnamese refugees re-established themselves in Oklahoma City. Now, the association works to preserve and promote the cultural relevance of these communities within the greater Oklahoma City area.

“If our generation is not very intentional about passing on our heritage to future generations of Asian Americans, we are going to lose it forever," said Hoang.

The association welcomed Mike Hoang as their president earlier this year. The second-generation immigrant to the United States said he was honored to be selected for the role by fellow leaders in the Asian community, and emphasized the importance of events like the Asian Night Market Festival when speaking of the previous years' events.

“We had an opportunity to showcase our culture and who we are as a community. At the end of the night, I overheard a kid having a conversation with some of his buddies; he said, ‘Nights like tonight make me proud to be Asian.’”

Hoang said, in his opinion, that is the goal of the association; to provide space for future generations of Asian Americans in Oklahoma City to remember their heritage and be proud of who they are.