626 Night Market 2025 Kick-off: Projects Old, New, and improved!
Market season is back for 2025! Our debut weekend saw the return of delicious food, exciting merch, and lots of entertainment acts to round out the event experience. This weekend saw the return of many special events that we know and loved from last year, as well as some new additions.
Silent Discos will now be at all our events! For our first weekend back, we had five Bay Area-based DJs keeping our attendees singing and dancing late into the night.
DJ Peter Lo, the Bay Area's premier K-pop video DJ, electrifies clubs and bars with his dynamic performances while providing unparalleled industry insights as host of the acclaimed "Kpopcast," where he conducts intimate interviews with K-pop's biggest figures. His dual role as both performer and interviewer has established him as a vital bridge between Western audiences and the Hallyu music scene.
DEVYN aka Devin Bustamante Balcorta is an EDM & K-pop DJ and Producer based out of San Francisco. Originally born and raised in Palmdale, California, Devin moved to the Bay for college where they learned to use music, dance, and art as a way to explore their identities as a non-binary Filipino-American and find community.
RODEL is a Filipino-American DJ from the Bay Area, CA whose sound transcends from hip-hop, R&B, house, trap, soul, bounce - to everything in between.
Shway is a Bay Area-raised music lover who has played in various venues across California over the last 10 years. He enjoys a wide variety of genres including hip-hop, R&B, funk, house and disco, and feels the most energized when bringing life to the dance floor. With an extensive background in street dance, he prioritizes the music that moves you first.
Lumoh is an EDM DJ known for his high-energy sets that blend trap, bass house, melodic bass, and more. His passion for creating unforgettable moments on the dancefloor has captivated audiences. Lumoh's deep love for music will take you on a journey to discover sounds you've never heard before
Back for its second year, the 626 Night Market Art Wall returned to the Bay Area as a vibrant, interactive canvas where attendees could leave their mark. Designed by Special Projects staff member Riland Simpao, the 16-foot mural invited guests to grab a marker and contribute to a living artwork inspired by the market itself. Throughout the weekend, the wall transformed into a colorful tapestry of doodles, names, and original art—capturing moments of creativity, connection, and community that made the experience unforgettable.
Click here to watch Hallyuverse’s RPD!
Making its debut at this year’s 626 Night Market Bay Area, our Random Dance Play collaboration with The Hallyuverse brought K-pop fans together for a high-energy celebration of music, dance, and community. From viral choreo to spontaneous dance-offs, the project turned the night market into a joyful space where strangers become dance partners and every song sparked connection.
Back for its second year, Cultural Performers Night featured five student-led groups whose powerful performances were rooted in tradition, movement, and community pride.
A true highlight of the night was the Night Market debut of Grupo Folklórico Luna y Sol from San José State University. With festive dances from the state of Sinaloa, their colorful costumes and energetic choreography instantly captivated the crowd. Their joyful performance was a celebration of Mexican culture and left a lasting impression on attendees.
TG Filipino Dance Company returned with crowd favorites Subli and Sayaw sa Bangko, blending precision and playfulness with heartfelt storytelling through movement.
Kilusan Pilipino from University of the Pacific showcased elegant Filipino dances like Pandanggo sa Ilaw and Maria Clara, impressing the audience with their graceful coordination and cultural depth.
Mga Kapatid Vintage Dance Troupe of UC Davis performed Polkabal, a traditional dance with Spanish and Filipino influences. Their poised performance, paired with live Rondalla music, was both refined and lively.
Closing the show, the SJSU VSA Lion Dance Team delivered an energetic lion dance filled with vibrant color, live percussion, and audience interaction—bringing good luck and high spirits to the evening.
The 626 Night Market Flight (626NMF) landed in its first destination of the 2025 season: the Bay Area! Taking guests on a trip across the market, this pass let guests choose 4 appetizer-sized meals from 6 participating vendors. This weekend’s lineup featured a trio of sweet offerings and a trio of savory dishes for only $19.99, giving Bay Area’s foodie community a taste for more for less.
Combine mochi, waffles, and sweet Asian dessert flavors into a fun fish shape and you got Taiyookie’s mini Taiyaki custard trio. The custard trio features three mini taiyakis: perfectly crisp on the outside while chewy and mochi-soft on the inside. Bite into all three for a creamy burst of sweet matcha, nutty black sesame, and rich Vietnamese salted coffee custard.
The hardened sugar of Mojo Global Inc’s tanghulu cracks into juicy fruit when bitten, creating the best texture and accentuating the natural flavors of strawberry, green grape, orange, and blackberry. Mojo Global also offered a tangier dessert option that’s lesser known amongst the foodie scene: their mango, strawberry, and matcha fried yogurts.
Mum’s Bakehouse, a rookie in the 626 Night Market ecosystem, served a delicious gluten-free Double Chocolate Cookie that’s truly meant for everybody. The company was founded with the goal to share good cookies with everybody, transcending dietary restrictions. The Double Chocolate Cookie’s extra dark chocolate, dutch processed cocoa, and perfect balance of textures was free of all nine major allergens, and the perfect not-too-sweet dessert.
Sushi Obsession was dishing out four golden-brown gyozas that make an ASMR-worthy crunch, stuffed tightly with juicy seasoned chicken, garlic, ginger, and scallions. The pan-fry offers a slight smoky char, pairing perfectly with a tangy soy-vinegar sauce.
Revolutionizing the bao and pizza game, Baozza fuses Chinese and American staples into one incredible dumpling. With your choice of fried or steamed, their pizza baos are cheesy, meaty, and unique all at once.
Drenched in All Dat Dumpling’s original House Special Sauce, four pork and shrimp wontons are a delicious pitstop for our flight. The garlicky soy sauce base blends well with its nutty spiciness, balanced with some sweetness and tang. As versatile as this sauce is, it finds its home in All Dat Dumpling’s savory wontons - juicy, comforting, and steaming.
Needless to say, this weekend kicked our season off with a bang - if you’re getting FOMO now, then we hope to see you at our next Bay Area event in July, or at the Orange County events at the beginning of June - maybe you’ll get to participate in a brand-new activity and win one of the things we mentioned in this blog post..?
Tickets are still available for all our events this year, so we hope to see you soon!
Special Projects Team:
Bernadette Velasco | Lead Producer, Copywriter - 626 Night Market Flight
Jaron Ramos | Lead Producer, Copywriter - Silent Disco
Riland Simpao | Lead Producer, Copywriter - Art Wall, Hallyuverse RDP, Cultural Performers Night
Sahrang Han | Special Projects Manager, Copy Editor
