Asian culture is often associated with East Asian countries such as China, Japan and Korea, but it also includes traditions of India, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and several other countries. 

The night market at Culver City High School highlights Asian traditions along with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultures. 

The second night market, sponsored by the Culver City High School AANHPI Parent Affinity Group, is on Friday, Jan. 31, at the school. It will also host a fall mixer and an AANHPI graduation. 

Stephanie Loredo — the founder of the parent affinity group and vice president of the Culver City School Board of Education — said the night market is the brainchild of Alvin Catacutan, a local business owner and the FilAm Arts in LA County board chair. 

“He proposed the idea of a night market, and the students received it well,” she said.

“Alvin and I both attend LA regional Filipino and Asian American events like the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, which is led by Alvin. We just saw a gap in the offerings in the Westside, especially in Culver City and the school district. We wanted to specifically provide spaces to support local businesses and celebrate our culture and unity. So, building upon the success of Culver City Middle School’s Noche de Familia during Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month and its Black business expo in February for Black History Month, we began to plan for this event to coincide with Lunar New Year in 2024.”

Last year, the night market attracted about 400 attendees and 100 vendors, performers, and volunteers. The event aimed to uplift and promote local businesses and organizations within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. It also provides a space for community performers to showcase their talents. 

Loredo said the event was also meant to showcase AANHPI contributions. 

“It’s a visible and engaging event that serves to affirm our students’ identities and share ourselves with the community, in belonging and celebration of the resilience, strength, ingenuity and creativity of AANHPI individuals,” Loredo said.

“Our students deserve to see themselves reflected in the world, and this is just one of the ways for them to be empowered, to dream big, connecting with one another in the community to find strength in unity, in both commonalities and in our diversity, so that we can achieve together.

“Even in the challenges to our well-being, to our very being and    to native and immigrant heritage,   in solidarity, our motto this year   has been to build forward together.”

Loredo stated that although the event occurs during Lunar New Year, it aims to be inclusive of various Asian cultures. 

“I think people think this is a Lunar New Year event only, but it really isn’t. This is really supportive of all Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritages,” Loredo said. 

At the Night Market, student performances will showcase Filipino martial arts, Hawaiian hula dance, Japanese Taiko drumming and the hip-hop duo Them Kids. 

DJ Wax Fanatix will spin, and parent/actor Brian Nishii will serve as emcee. 

Loredo said audiences can watch traditional and contemporary performances. 

“That’s the thing about Asian American heritage is it’s not just traditional. It’s also the culture that they’re existing in today. This really serves to affirm their identities and what they’re bringing to our community,” Loredo said.  

Organizations like the high school’s Asian Cultural Union will provide free crafts. One of the vendors, Oh Shoot!, will bring a photo booth. Kids can have their faces painted, too.

Students will receive the traditional red envelopes at the start of the Lunar New Year Parade. 

“Usually, the elder folks during Lunar New Year give red envelopes, or hongbao, to the younger folks to wish them luck and an auspicious and prosperous new year,” Loredo said.  

For the parade, the five dragons and the snake were decorated by students from five elementary schools within the Culver City Unified School District. Students from the middle and high schools will operate these pieces. 

Last year, students used an upcycled comic book board from the Comic Bug, an Asian American-owned local business, to create a 100-foot-long dragon named “Betty.” This effort was led by Irene Yu, a parent with paper crafting experience. 

This year at the market, attendees can try Afghan, Filipino, Japanese, Indonesian, Hawaiian and Vietnamese cuisine. 

Vendors will offer products and services, including anime-themed artwork, jewelry, home goods, beauty products, 3D printed creations, and Korean hanbok rentals with photoshoot packages. They are offered space for free. 

“This is really about community building and supporting the vendors and partners that are attending,” Loredo said. 

Several exhibitors are from or serve areas that have been affected by the wildfires. 

“Now is the time to really provide economic opportunities for them,” Loredo said. 

Public officials will attend or speak at the event. They include folks from Rep. Ted Lieu’s office, LA County Assessor Jeff Prang, West Basin Municipal Water District Board Member Scott Houston, Culver City Mayor Dan O’Brien, school board trustees, and city council members. 

Parent affinity group

Loredo said she started the parent affinity group to engage Asian American families following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They were really hurting from greater instances of Asian American hate from COVID,” said Loredo, who is also vice president of the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education.

“The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander parent affinity was created to provide a source of support and engagement so that they can bond over their shared cultures and some shared issues or challenges that they can come together and advocate for,” said Loredo, who has 10th- and 11th-grade children.