Oakland's first-ever Chinatown Night Market highlights non-traditional side of neighborhood

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The lion dances traditionally kick off most big events in Chinatown. Saturday night's first-ever Oakland Chinatown Night Market was no different.

"The pandemic, COVID -- goodbye! We are coming out, and we are going to spend our money, because we know we need to support our small businesses," an enthusiastic Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told the crowd in her opening speech.

One of the event organizers, Stewart Chen, said business in Chinatown has plummeted since the pandemic. He wants the night market to be the catalyst for turning things around.

"(Businesses) close at 4 p.m. Some of them close at 3:30 p.m. Businesses are closing early because nobody is coming. This is an important draw to bring them back," Chen said.

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Darlene Wong is with Lounge Chinatown, which is the anchor restaurant for the event. To mark the auspiciousness of the evening, they showcased Taiwanese street food-items that aren't offered in most restaurant menus: skewers of popcorn chicken and stinky tofu to name a few.

"It's been delicious. I was really enjoying it. And now I have this really beautiful pineapple (dessert). It's really great to see people showing up what they can do with their food, with their ideas," said Kayla Begay, who attended the street fair.

Part of the night was to also offer another side of Chinatown, far removed from traditional images most people know.

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An Asian DJ spun electronic music on center stage. DTrue, a Chinese American hip-hop artist, performed. He said it's to break down stereotypes and show the many sides of the community.

"I really try to put on for the community. Show people you can take a nontraditional path, you know what I'm saying?" Dtrue said.

With thousands in attendance, there was also stepped-up security.

Chen said night markets seem to be working in other cities. Now, it is Oakland's turn.