Located right in the middle of Koreatown, Los Angeles, this year’s KTOWN Night Market was the biggest one yet. Filled with food vendors, games, and a two-day lineup of special performances and star-studded headliners, attendees were in for a treat.
Being an Asian night market, food was definitely in abundance. From giant Korean fried chicken sandwiches from Chimmelier, to Yakitori sticks from Yakitori Yado, to the seemingly everywhere baby bottle drinks from Sunday Cafe, KTOWN Night Market was truly a food lover’s playground.
One of the food highlights was definitely Xing Fu Tang’s brand new collab drink that premiered at the night market. Being that the event was sponsored by Melona, the tea shop powerhouse partnered with them to make a Melona Strawberry Banana Milky. This blended Banana Melona drink adorned with boba was out of this world and had festival goers lining up at their booth.
Stocked and filled on snacks and drinks, fans were also treated to an amazing variety of performances. There was a little something for everyone: K-Pop dance performances by groups such as The Bangtan Buds to full band rock performances by local favorites Fyke. KTOWN Night Market gave Asian performers an intimate stage to shine and show off their individual talents and curated performances.
One of the main attractions of both nights were definitely the headliners. The first night came with two exciting headliners, one being the hyperpop artist, Kazi, all the way from New York. Taking the stage to “Alone,” a perfect opener to his set, Kazi brought a colorful energy filled performance filled with songs from his soon to be released album. Backed by dancers, his stage brought energy to the crowd. Performing his newest song “Necklace” and ending his set with crowd favorite “Ruin My Life,” Kazi let his personality and catchy hooks shine.
Cr. Ericka P. Cr. Ericka P.
Last but certainly not least, the person a lot of people were solely there to see on night one was Minzy. Coming out hot with her debut solo song, “Ninano,” Minzy was immediately engulfed by the crowd’s cheers and screams. Also known for her dancing prowess, Minzy did not disappoint. She proceeded to play her Latin inspired banger, “TEAMO,” backed by an intricately choreographed dance duo.
[GALLERY] Minzy at KTOWN Night Market
In an ode to her roots, she went on to surprise the crowd with 2NE1 favorites, “I Don’t Care (Reggae Version)” and “Go Away.” It was an amazing performance filled with high energy dancing as well as a large hit of nostalgia that Minzy and 2NE1 fans would never forget.
Last to headline on day two was the king of K-Town himself, Ted Park. Performing in front of his friends and family in the neighborhood he calls home, Ted brought out the K-Town spirit with his well-known bangers,“Crazy Rich Asians” and “Drippin.” To end the night, Ted lit up the crowd in a way no other performer had and jumped into the crowd for “Dance Like Jay Park.” Fans danced around him and chanted every lyric to the perfect ending to the night market.
After a two year hiatus, the KTOWN Night Market is back in full force. Bigger and better than the previous years and backed by huge performances and brands, this local night market is definitely here to stay and has fans already looking forward to next year’s festivities.