OC Night Market Opens with Oodles of Eats

Do interesting eats taste better by starlight? Find out as the thrice-yearly food favorite arrives.

What to Know

  • OC Fair & Event Center
  • $5-$12 entry; $9 parking
  • May 17-19, June 14-16, Aug. 23-25

What's the biggest sign that summer is on its warmth-delivering way?

A) You receive an engraved announcement, in the mail, directly from summer, saying "please expect me soon." (You know it is from summer because it says "summer" where the return address should be.)

B) Various media outlets begin advising on trendy beach wear and no-cook recipes.

C) The OC Night Market arrives.

The answer to the initial question, of course, is about as all-of-the-above-y as you can get, with the OC Night Market's seasonal kick-off the foodie-est favorite of the bunch.

For the outdoor, by-evening event is all about the flavor-packing plates, and pretty plates, too, the kind you'll want a few snapshots alongside before you chow down.

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And the thrice-a-year gathering is back, in Costa Mesa, from May 17-19, 2019.

For sure, this is a foodie festival based on the famous night markets of Asia, where so many tasty delicacies are just a minute away, clocking down from the happy moment you walk up to order.

If you must miss weekend #1?

Be not sad, and do hang tight, for it'll pop up again, with well over a hundred vendors in tow, from June 14-16, and then once more, as yummily, from Aug. 23-25.

Yes, we said "yummily." No, we're not sorry.

Please feel free to savor a cheesy arepa from Wezzarepas or a sushi taco from Norigami and say if you feel strongly that the word "yummy" can't become "yummily" in some special instances. 

It most certainly can.

Admission is $5 to $12, parking is $9, and there'll be a whole caboodle of other vendors not doing the dining thing, should you want to browse glitter tattoos or body butters or soy wax candles.

There are over 180 vendors in all at the kick-off weekend, both of the edible and the shoppable variety, so hooray for that.

It's almost like summer is on its way, and we definitely know that, even if we haven't received our engraved announcement, direct from the season itself, saying so.

For once the OC Market is here, that popular, into-the-evening foodie fun time, we do know, for sure, that we've entered the Summer Zone.

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