626 Night Market, Part 3: Arcadia, Two Days + Cheaper Vendor Registration Fee

The 626 Night Market is coming back, for the third time this year. This time the event will be held at the Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and will be running for two nights, on Oct. 20 and 21. Admission is free of charge and the events will be staged in Santa Anita's spacious infield area.

“Though we really liked Pasadena and the last event, our goal is to ultimately make the event reoccurring, and make it a two day event each time,” Jonny Hwang, event organizer and founder told Squid Ink. “Putting it in a public area on the street is really difficult. Arcadia is more suitable. There's a lot more parking and you can set up there early and clean up on Monday. We don't have to worry about rush hour.”

Like the previous two night markets, the October event will feature Asian street foods, local businesses, and new entrepreneurs. And this time, they're adding new features. “We will have more decorations, movie screenings on the lawn, live art and games for people of all ages,” Hwang said. “However, our focus is still on providing exposure to interesting pan-Asian foods and products.”

The last night market was largely considered a success and had over 200 unique vendors with a large section dedicated to the food. And keeping with their motto of supporting local businesses, vendor fees this time around will be less expensive.

“It has decreased by about $130 per night and includes equipment such as canopy rental, permits, and electricity,” Hwang said. “Our rates are lower than most, if not all, large Asian events. While we are not subsidized by host cities or media entities, one of our primary goals is to support local businesses and entrepreneurs as a platform with a low cost of entry.”

Hwang added that he is capping the number of vendors to approximately 200.

The Saturday market will be from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday will go from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Parking is $7. Arrive early, from 3 – 4 p.m., for $4 parking.

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