The Asian Night Market Festival took place from August 18-19 this year. Hosted by the Asian District Cultural Association, it brought together diverse cultures of all kinds for two nights of festivities, events, and learning!
My first day at the festival, August 18, 2023, was also my first impression of the event altogether. Honestly, it feels unforgettable with how fun it was- from amazing food trucks, to fun stalls, nice people and a plethora of events to indulge in. Even seeing a part of my culture getting represented in Oklahoma had me incredulous. It was incredible to be a part of theBollywood group K-pop-dance class, and to witness the elegant form of martial art, tai-chi. The Friday events also consisted of Lebanese dancing, Cuban dancing, and other beautiful Asian forms of art and customs.
The food in the food trucks were vast and diverse, offering food to people of all kinds. One of the food trucks stood out to me because it was specifically Halal food, — food which is handled according to Islamic law, pure, and clean — Abu Omar Halal. The consideration to include not only the different types of people that would be attending the festival, but their religions as well, is very kind and gave me very positive feelings.
On the second and last day of the festival, from 5:30-10:00, I was witness to the displaying of different cultures in the fashion show, from Bengali, Indian, Chinese, Philippine, Vietnamese, and so many more that I couldn’t catch in my viewing. They had performances for Vocaloid (robotic pop music, typically from Japan) K-pop, lion dancing, and it showed me that the people who organized the event (the Asian District Cultural Association) really wanted the people attending to feel represented and seen. For that reason, I had the time of my life.
I think Oklahoma gets a bad reputation when it comes to representation, and part of it perhaps is deserved. However, the people who live in the stateare increasingly trying to make an effort to be inclusive, and that effort is seen in these festivals. It’s our job to promote them and get more people to go to thembecause you never know how being a part of such diversity and being seen may make someone’s day the way it made mine.
