Angelenos from all walks of life flooded the Chinatown area Saturday, June 30th, eating, shopping, and taking in the arts and entertainment. 

The first Saturday of the Chinatown Summer Nights event series was a huge celebration of culture through food, the arts, film, and a dance party too! It was the perfect way to say goodbye to June and welcome July.

Chinatown Summer Nights are free and open to the public and will be happening the last Saturdays of the month: JUN 30 + JUL 28 + AUG 25 from 5:00 pm to midnight. The event is a joint effort between Los Angeles Chinatown & KCRW 89.9.

When I saw the Chinatown Summer Nights event on Facebook, I had to click that ‘interested’ button. The event did not disappoint! I remember shopping in the Chinatown flea markets as a kid with my family. Since then, I’ve been to Chinatown only a few times, one of which was to work on a school project about gentrification and rent increases in the area. When I went to the celebration, I felt like I was in a brand new hot spot in Los Angeles. Most importantly, I felt like the community was making a vibrant declaration about their Chinatown and sharing it with everyone present.

On the first night, there were movie projections on buildings and a screening of the Jurassic World film in Blossom Plaza. The celebration was still raging well into the night when I got there around 9:00 pm. Throughout people were blasting confetti and streamers into the air as if 4th of July came early. I’m convinced that every stone in the Chinatown Central Plaza must still be covered in the multicolored pieces of paper. A ton of people were chilling before a KCRW DJ booth. All around the plaza, the shops, galleries, and lounges were open. Food trucks lined up next to the plaza with an assortment of gourmet foods.

When I mozied on over to summer nights website, the creators state “The mission of the Los Angeles Chinatown Business Improvement District is to creatively plan, manage and facilitate the rebirth of historic Chinatown as a multinational culturally defined, economically vibrant and socially engaging community.”

When the invisible grandfather clock struck midnight, it seemed like shops and restaurants were still welcoming costumers even if closing time was fast approaching. I felt the event was truly an impactful win-win for the local businesses and the greater Los Angeles community. I could see the community effort with volunteers helping all around and packing up after the cooking demonstrations.

If you didn’t make it to the first night there are still two more lively summer nights to experience. Even if you are a night owl and arriving at 5:00 pm isn’t your thing, I do advise going at a reasonable time so that you have enough time to eat at the food trucks and see the cooking demos, view the art, and shop.

For more details about going to the event, click here

For food truck, vending, or sponsorship information, you can email: info@chinatownla.com.

Best,

Kai 😀