What to KnowGloria Molina Grand Park Presents VendorFest Night MarketSaturday, March 286 to 10 p.m.Free admissionEnjoy DJ music, large-scale art pop-ups, and street vendor eatsPresented by CuratorLove and the UNDOC+Collective
With longer days and warmer temperatures sweeping in, the middle of March can summon a singular summer pleasure to mind, the sort of starlit snack-around we associate with the time of year when we love savoring meals by moonglow.
It’s the night market, that vendor-filled, scent-delicious, be-enticed event that is filled with a tempting variety of foods, interesting sips, and breezy charms.
But in Southern California, we don’t have to wait for summer to find the pleasures of the after-sunset snack-and-stroll scene: A new evening eat-and-sip celebration is headed to Gloria Molina Grand Park in the earliest days of spring.
March 28 to be exact, the final Saturday of the month.
Gloria Molina Grand Park Presents VendorFest Night Market is the debuting festivity, a tasty tribute that “… honors street vendors as essential cultural workers who nourish, protect, and connect LA’s richly diverse neighborhoods,” shares the park team.
“LA’s street vendors play a vital role in our community and contribute to the vibrancy of our diverse and distinctive neighborhoods,” said Robert Gonzalez, director of Gloria Molina Grand Park.
“Gloria Molina Grand Park Presents VendorFest Night Market is our way of celebrating these vendors’ contribution to the culture of Los Angeles and honoring their hard work and tenacity.”
Dozens of street vendors will be at the four-hour gathering, with “colorful, custom-designed” Revolution Carts serving as festive focal points.
Look/listen also for DJ Butchona’s appearance, “Shades of Labor” by Hedy Torres, and the debut of artist Ruben Ochoa’s “¡Vendedores, Vendedores!,” as well as works by dozens of local artists set to be projected on the side of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records.
“Street vendors are the heartbeat of Los Angeles, and Gloria Molina Grand Park Presents VendorFest Night Market is an invitation to gather, to celebrate and to recognize just how much their labor and presence sustain our communities,” said Erika Hirugami, founder of CuratorLove and co-founder of UNDOC+Collective.
“Angelenos and food lovers of all ages are invited to what will be an incredible evening of solidarity to celebrate street vendors as important community members.”
How to reach this vibrant new night market? The Civic Center/Grand Park Metro stop is right there and can be reached by riding the B or D Line.