It’s not often that one of those annoying pop up ads on Facebook catches my eye. But when I noticed an article that read “OC Night Market returns," I was more than intrigued. Where I grew up in Riverside in the 90’s, there was a traditional weekly market night called “Downtown Wednesday Night," and it was my favorite thing as a child. Music and craft booths, delicious and exotic food, pony rides and much more, right in the middle of the old downtown district of Riverside, not far from the beautiful, historic Mission Inn. I recall going with my mother on warm summer Wednesday nights. They discontinued Downtown Wednesday Night, and their famous, annual Orange Blossom Festival. There was a void in me, a piece of my childhood was gone. My friends and I went to other market nights in neighboring cities, but they didn’t have the same vitality I was craving. After reading about OC Night Market, I marked my calendar. My hope to discover a new tradition to pass on to my son, was fulfilled.

The OC Night Market is an offshoot of the original 626 Night Market, taking place in the San Gabriel area. It is currently in it’s fifth year. The OC Night Market is in it’s third year and will be taking place at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa over three weekends this summer. The concept of the market is simple, it is modeled after the open air nighttime markets made famous in asian culture. “Some well-known night markets exist in Taiwan, but they also exist in many other areas inhabited by ethnic Chinese such as Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Philippines and Chinatowns worldwide.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_market). It’s a rich gathering of talented artists, entrepreneurs, unique food vendors and musicians. And it’s definitely geared toward the younger crowd, if you happen to be a millennial who appreciates asian food, this place is right up your alley.

As we explored, it was hard to choose where to go next. The first place we stopped was the artists booths upon entering. There were beautiful innovative pieces of all shapes and sizes, most were reasonably priced. Many of the pieces done by artists like Brett Bennett(BrettsArtWorld), Leanne Huynh, Richard Garcia, and Danny Silva to name a few, featured comic and anime inspired mashups of pop culture and Disney. They were bright, vivid and edgy. We even bought a piece from BrettsArtWorld, you can check out his work on facebook and support his work on http://patron.com/brettsartworld. There were so many gorgeous exhibits to look at. Every few steps there were upbeat mixes of todays hottest dance tracks playing from the booths outside, and even AMP Radio 97.1 had a truck and dance floor, delivering a party atmosphere, dance battles and performances. The outdoor stage featured AMAZING acoustic music acts all night, some of our favorites were Jenni Marie and Peter Su. If art isn’t your thing but fashion or collector items are, you won’t be disappointed. There were handmade jewelry creators everywhere, Funko Pop vendors and creative, clever clothing for sale by designers like Cyndi Grasman of Bad Pickle Tees (http://BADPICKLETEES.COM).

The food was out of this world. It was impossible to try everything. My boyfriend and I are big seafood fans, and this market had it all. Gourmet hotdogs, soups, traditional faire food and asian seafood dishes around every corner. I would normally be weary of trying raw seafood at an outdoor booth, but the sushi at Sushi Studio Arts Poke Bar was superb.

The fish was fresh and the quantity and care were perfect. The A-SHA Noodle Bar featured a “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” experience to ordering. You choose your preference of noodle size, sauce ranging from lightly to extremely spicy, your choice of veggies and extras, and their custom ordering method was quick and efficient. One vendor, Tanota Takoyaki must have been out of this world, because their line was full and long all night. We were excited to see some favorites from other food festivals and fairs that we were already familiar with like The Lobsta Truck, who never disappoints (http://la.lobstatruck.com). Their lobster bisque is unbelievably good. And washing down these delightful treats with ice cold Kirin Ichiban beer made it perfect. Even my two year old enjoyed trying Indonesian chicken on a stick from Simpang Asia.

There was definitely something for everyone. The highlight of our evening was discovering the interactive art piece put on by IMMERSE. It was a giant colorful moving image that took up the entire side of the fairground's Los Alamitos building. As we got closer, we realized that the images were reflections of the passersby. There were cameras set up everywhere and patrons who stood in front of them saw their own silhouette being projected onto the large wall.

My whole family had fun with this one, it was pretty spectacular. Adults and children alike were having a blast and donning huge smiles at the opportunity to be a part of this ever evolving living art piece.

The first night of the 2016 OC Night Market sealed itself as a new favorite hotspot for my family. If you missed the first weekend, there are two more weekends this summer to experience the fun.

2016 OC Night Market Dates

May 13-15 // Friday & Saturday 4pm-12am, Sunday 4pm to 10pm

June 17-19 // Friday & Saturday 4pm-12am, Sunday 4pm to 10pm

August 26-28 // Friday & Saturday 4pm-12am, Sunday 4pm to 10pm (http://www.yelp.com/events/costa-mesa-oc-night-market-5)

For more information, check out http://www.ocnightmarket.com.

I suggest you head on down in June or August, bring your besties, and come hungry.