Food a big draw at 626 Night Market, the Asian-inspired festival at Santa Anita Park. It is in its fourth season of food, entertainment, art and shopping.
626 Night Market, an Asia-inspired market event returns for its ninth season at Santa Anita Park Friday through Sunday, with a phased reopening and reduced capacity. Admission is $5 plus fees.
Asian night markets share a common language: food. Evening events draw thousands to LA, Orange, and San Diego counties. In 2012, the first 626 Night Market took place at Old Town Pasadena. Then the event moved to Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and it has become a signature event, becoming kind of synonymous with Arcadia, says Jason Kruckeberg, assistant City Manager, and Development Services Director.
The 626 Night Market is the brainchild of 3 Taiwanese-Americans who were heavily inspired by their experiences at night markets in Taiwan. The 626 Night Market will continue at Santa Anita Park next summer.
Organizers of the 626 Night Market at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, estimate as many as 50,000 people attended the recent 3 night run of the event. The event featured Asian street food booths and other vendors and entertainment.
626 Night Market spawns copycats. The concept of a Taiwanese style foodie bazaar that has been held at Santa Anita Park, has spread to Orange County, Koreatown in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, and Studio City.
Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, in an effort to increase bone marrow donations, took blood samples and registered volunteers at the Los Angeles County Health Fair and Senior Festival at Santa Anita Park.
CalPhil opens Festival on the Green summer concert series on June 30 with a concert featuring singer Vanessa Carlton, the USC Trojan Marching Band, and pyrotechnics, at Santa Anita Park. See hard copy in VF "Santa Anita Park 2011-2020."
Organizers of the 626 Night Market, held at Santa Anita Park, hope that a 6-foot-tall plexi glass cup of boba milk tea, holding about 125 4-inch tapioca balls, immersed in some 320 gallons of black tea and milk, will earn them a spot in the Guinness World Records.
Albert Chu and Patricia Huang, the people behind 626 Night Market, now selling chef-made foodie boxes called ChefBox. It is a takeout establishment in South Pasadena that offers high quality meals that can be quickly heated up.