Local Collective Launches ‘Charm City Night Market on September 22 Located in Baltimore’s Historic Chinatown, Featuring Local Cultural Performances, and 15+ food and drink vendors.
Coinciding with the Lunar Mid-Autumn Festival, the first-ever Charm City Night Market will host musical acts, artists, food vendors, storytellers, and cultural ambassadors — all converging on an historic block of Baltimore’s Chinatown. Charm City Night Market will take place on Saturday, September 22 from 4-11pm, with the center of the action at the greenspace on 200 Park Avenue. Entry is free with RSVP. For updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/244865219470959/ or follow @charmcitynightmarket on Instagram.
“This all started with Kitty and Calvin Chin,” says organizer Stephanie Hsu. “They were longtime residents and a for the preservation of Baltimore’s Chinatown and had such a compelling pan-Asian vision for Park Ave. The Chinatown Collective is working to revive and expand their ideas — the Night Market will hopefully just be the beginning.â€
Charm City Night Market will be an epic outdoor block party that connects Lexington Market to Park Avenue, spanning the city’s intertwined communities of color. Performances at the Charm City Night Market range from cultural traditions to contemporary dance and music. One of the Charm City Night Market headliners is Baltimore Dance Crews Project.
Established in 2009 by Filipino American hiphop dance artists Brian Gerardo and Cynthia Chavez, The Baltimore Dance Crews Project (BDCP) hosts hip-hop programming that strengthens relationships between students and mentors. Attendees can also look forward to performances by Samulnori, traditional Korean drum artistry.
“We’re excited to welcome nationally acclaimed restaurants like Ekiben along with rising stars like Mera Kitchen Collective and Mochichi,” says organizer Jamie Sumague. Mera Kitchen Collective is a women-owned cooperative featuring chefs and cuisine while Mochichi is a Korean and Filipino frozen desserts stall led by Steve Cho, a long time Lexington Market stall owner. Also among the vendors are visual artists, crafters, jewelry makers. Look for prints and designs by Filipina American sister duo Timpla, organic self care products by Priya Means Love, and playful artwork and merchandise by Kimchi Juice. Event attendees can also expect to find a soju, sake, and beer garden helmed by Phil Han of Dooby’s.
The Chinatown Collective includes collaborators of Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Pakistani, Ethiopian and Vietnamese descent. They work together to amplify the voices of long term AAPI residents, contributors, and leaders in Baltimore City, and hope to unite the city around the history of Asian Immigrants and Asian Americans in Baltimore with a multi-cultural vision of our future. Contact us for more information, interviews, and brief bios.