OKC's Asian District Night Market Festival now 2 days of food, celebration: What to know

Through the past five years, the Asian District Cultural Association has worked to boost the northwest Oklahoma City community through education, outreach, beautification and events. The most special occasion of the year in the community is its annual Asian Night Market Festival, held every summer in Military Park.

Organizers saw an average of 40,000 people visit the festival in previous years, and with the additional night this year, they are expecting even more.

New for this year, the event will run two evenings ― from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug. 18-19 ― rather than just one night.

"It's been amazing to see the growth," said Andrea Schultz, executive director of the Asian District Cultural Association, as she reflected on the scope of the organization's impact. She added that a major milestone was partnering with the OKC Thunder basketball team for the inaugural Lunar New Year's game several months ago.

For decades, the community around NW 25 and Classen Boulevard has fostered Oklahoma City's Asian American enclave. Vietnamese refugees and their families who have long populated the area once referred to it informally as "Little Saigon," until community leaders agreed on the "Asian District" branding in 2005.

"It's really important for our community to see that visible growth, especially for our first generation of Vietnamese refugees who came here after the war in the '70s, to really see how their roots have flourished now," Schultz said. "I love that we have this event. I think it adds such a cool experience to our culture here in Oklahoma City and downtown, in ways that you can't even find in other major cities."

Admission to the fifth annual Asian Night Market Festival is still free. Numerous activities, including a fashion show, a food-eating contest, several cultural demonstrations and even children's entertainment are planned for the two-day event.

Why is the Asian Night Market Festival expanding to two nights?

In the past, the yearly festival has surrounded the northbound lane of Classen, encompassed Military Park at 1200 NW 25 and then touched Super Cao Nyugen to the area's east.

This year, organizers decided to move the festival westward, closing down both directions of Classen and incorporating many more businesses on the west side of the area.

Schultz said securing permission from the city to expand the festival over two nights and across the wider area was a big win.

“We have more vendors than ever,” said Schultz, who is half-Korean. “With retail, sponsoring and food tents and food trucks, we have around 80 vendors. That’s the biggest it’s ever been.”

Multiple businesses in northwest Oklahoma City will be participating in this year's festival, like the much-beloved Quoc Bao Bakery and the newer Mochinut donut shop and Tiger Sugar bubble tea store.

Jenny Nguyen, the association's vice president, said the festival's hours and reach were extended this year to include companies on the left-hand side of Classen that could benefit from the increased foot traffic.

"After four years, we’ve figured out, OK, maybe we should move west, where we have a lot more restaurants on that side, willing to participate, and newer restaurants," Nguyen said.

More: OKC's flourishing Asian community now has its own Chamber of Commerce

Jenny Nguyen's Bún Box set to launch during festival

Nguyen, well-known for managing the popular Vietnamese restaurant Lee’s Sandwiches on 3300 N Classen Blvd., is also preparing the grand opening of her own local concept, Bún Box, during the festival.

Named after the “bún” noodles (and pronounced “boon”), Nguyen's concept will include vermicelli bowls, with a focus on to-go ordering and using Military Park for extended seating.

A special guest will be revisiting Oklahoma City to help premiere the concept: Danny Bowien, the restaurateur behind Mission Chinese Food in New York and California. Bowien grew up in Moore and will be returning to the Oklahoma City metro for the festival.

Organizers said Bowien is collaborating with Nguyen for a pop-up and a special Korean-Vietnamese dish exclusive to the festival.

What to expect at the 2023 Asian Night Market Festival in OKC

The festival's first night on Aug. 18 will be the most interactive, Schultz said.

New activities this year will include a dance class in which audiences can take part, learning choreography and techniques popularized through Bollywood films and K-pop music videos.

Children's entertainment is also a priority, and event planners are partnering with the Oklahoma City Zoo to bring the venue's "Safari Lights" experience into the children's area.

A returning favorite is the festival's fashion show, which Schultz helped revamp last year. It will begin at 6:45 p.m. on Aug. 19.

“The fashion show in the past had been mainly a showcase of traditional clothing for members of our community, and I just wanted to bring a new approach to it last year and really highlight the influence that Asian brands and designers had on the industry at large,” Schultz said.

The festival's hot wing eating contest also will return at 6 p.m. Aug. 18. Wings for the competition this year are being provided by Chick-N-Beer, and Oklahoma City Community College is sponsoring the event as well.

The contest winner will walk away with a $250 cash prize and a championship trophy, Schultz said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Asian District Night Market Festival now 2 days: What to know