San Gabriel Valley’s 626 Night Market, an event inspired by the popular night markets in Asia, is returning for three weekends this summer at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.
This weekend’s event, which will be housed at the racetrack’s Paddock Gardens on Saturday and Sunday, brings together more than 80 Asian street food vendors, 70 local merchandise vendors and local performance artists, organizers said. Additional activities such as film screenings, a dance floor and children’s activities will also be on site.
The event showcases the region’s “hidden” small businesses for non-Chinese speakers, said Jonny C. Hwang, who founded the 626 Night Market in April 2012 with his wife and a friend. Visitors are transported to the steaming food alleys of Asia and introduced to local businesses as well as first-time entrepreneurs and retail vendors.
Since their first venture, the event has grown in popularity with tens of thousands of visitors at each event, generating millions of dollars in transactions for local vendors, organizers said.
