It was fun and worth visiting during summer night, pop pop all over the ground, lots of foods trucks, entertainment is good.

Calling all the original underground. OG Ravers is what you're gonna get when you're dealing with KCRW/DJ, Jason Bentley . People that listen to KCRW are always the cold people that know what's up. Back in the day, we hired him to do our weekly club downtown LA called TIME ! So when I saw the flyer for this event, you know I was coming. It's cool to see how many people Showed up. Perfect place to turn up for a little bit.#GoVenture #Raver #LAUnderground read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - You know you're gonna have a cool crowd. When is KCRW? - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

It was a nice experience, but nothing what I've expected. I expected some real Chinese cuisine, Chinese music, festival and so on. But there was just common DJ ‍ If you come around 7 you probably won't find a free or cheap parking. The nearest costs $40 read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Chinatown - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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such a LA night vibe! okay so i was lil scared of the crowds but you skip the dj area and be fine! seen alot of seller booth of really cool things: press on nails, clothing, stickers, etc. definetly if your in town worth a stop. 5pm - midnight. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - summer 2022. - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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What happened this year? New crew in charge of organization or what? I have attended the August 25th night and I was so disappointed! I've been attending this event for years and loved it! This year it's trying to expend in more areas of Chinatown and it's not a good idea. There was no culinary scene with live cooking shows featuring local chefs, eating competitions, tastings, etc. That used to be a hoot! They had it just for the June edition! Bring it back! There are still food trucks and good ones and a decent eating area. But this area they moved the LA Weekly stage and the Beer Garden area to the Mandarin Plaza, across from the Central Plaza and to the left. Big mistake, it was so easy and fun to have it all in Central Plaza, if you didn't like the act on the Main Stage it was easy to go to LA Weekly one. It was great to have the Beer Garden near the food trucks area for obvious reasons. Just getting into the stage area for LA Weekly/Beer Garden was a hassle, show ID to security people, get a wrist band and pay for a beer at one stall and then get your beer in another area. Too complicated! The menu for the beer garden featured at least 8 type of beers we settled for an amber ale and paid for it. Well, they didn't have it, they just have only 3 beers on rotations. Well, cut them off the menu, let people know. The girls serving beer seemed like they had no clue about beers. We asked for our money back. Too bad, the band that was playing seemed pretty good, would have been nice to watch, sip a beer, enjoy the views. The main stage had pretty poor acts, the art galleries were closes (so the Gallery Row seemed like Ghost Town), there were less vendors, less people,more security everywhere (never seen any issues here, peaceful event), it was less fun. It seemed the less lively Summer Nights I've been to. Hope they get it together, sometimes it's OK to let things alone, not mess w. them. read more

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We came here during Labor Day weekend and had a great time. Parking can be challenging in Chinatown and expensive. Parking lots were charging $10 and some more, like parking lot across the street next to Full House Restaurant - $20. Fortunately, we found meter parking few blocks away for only few dollars. Though it was hot that night, it didn't deter us from enjoying ourselves. From the moment you enter, the constant popping of confetti cannons are everywhere. Everyone from young to old are getting into the action. Some of the things to check out here are art studio, cultural shows, shopping, and cooking demonstration. There's a dance floor in center of Central Plaza with KCRW DJ's spinning latest tunes. If you're hungry, there are plenty of food trucks and food booth. We actually hanged out most of the time in beer garden and people watched. Be prepared to show your ID and draft beer $6-$7. See you again next year. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Cheers to summer nights! - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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It's dead. It shows open but when we get there it's crickets. I wouldn''t trust yep on night events. Waste your time somewhere else.

Every summer our beloved local radio station 88.9 KCRW sponsors this event that takes place in our local historic plaza.Uniting music,food and culture together as one,as it should be.Taking place once a month,this festival of art and culinary delights have brought forth all the hottest food trucks and well as local resident Dj's and special guests spinning your favorite rug cutters.There is also arts and crafts for the little ones to get into while you chow down the food truck treasures. Shops and vendors are open late throughout the plaza for shopping convenience and breeze shooting. Admission is free and there's plenty of parking surrounding the plaza area. But I highly recommend parking in a structure,it's cheap and also safe. The festivities usually start at six and it goes on and on and on,this party don't stop till da break of dawn! And that's my take on KCRW's own summer nights in Chinatown square.Peace and Luv read more

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I have more fun here than any other night or street fair. Hey even more fun then going to a club. Why?.. Because you get the live DJ, dancing right in the center of the open air plaza, surrounding with lights, people, shops food and drinks! And the best part, is that it's free and you can bring your kids! So much entertainment! You got the lion dancers, the piano man, the magician, etc! You also got free shows from the little kids who buys the poppers and firecracker- like paper poppers popping them everywhere. This was my second year there and it was better than the first. More food trucks, gifts and food vendors. Aside from the booths, and food trucks, all the gift shops were opened and we went shopping for souvenirs and Chinese gifts. :-) read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Oh my goodness! This was a pretty cool event! I hope to go at least once every year! It's actually quite a neat thing they do! It really does draw people into the area and is festive! The best place to park is at the Bamboo Plaza Parking Structure. For 2 hours, it cost us $5.00. Not sure what their prices are, only what we paid. We got there just after 5PM and left before it actually got dark, but that's okay! We pretty much beat the crowds and got to experience most everything we wanted. Next time we should stay later and watch some of the performances. I'll just say this is a trial run... to see what it was all about! First off, we looked around and decided to get some eats. There were about 10 food trucks to choose from. We supported 3-4 of them. We tried 2 crepes from Crepe'nAround, lobster roll & miso soup from LetsRollIt, hot dog with sauerkraut from the GreasyWeiner, and lemonade (not sure which truck). We inched our way into a few spots at a picnic table to eat our dinner. Everything was really quite good! We got 3 Ice Pops from Artesana, the best one was the Cucumber-Mint-Lime! So delicious! We also got three little tiny cake bite type of sweets from the Velvet Red Rope Bake Shop. They were ok. People were having fun with those cylindrical containers full of paper confetti! I think you twist it and it explodes the confetti with a loud POP! I was a lot of fun to watch! The absolute high point of the evening was the few minutes we got to spend with Tara, the Capuchin monkey! She is so adorable, cute, and full of energy! She sure loves those little gummy treats!! Tara was dressed in a kilt, jacket, and had a diaper on. You stand next to the table and she will jump on you and "do her thing" with a few cues from her trainer. It's definitely a unique and fun experience! The volunteers were young teens. It is nice that there were young volunteers, but for the line near the monkey, it would have been better to have people who could manage the crowd. This crowd might have been too much for them to control. I do give them kudos for being willing to serve their community! So many of today's youth don't take the time to do that! We saw lots of neat things. Stalls selling hot sauces, jewelry, sweets, and ice cream. There was a little area roped off where you could consume alcohol. There are bands and music to help liven up the festivities. Across the street, there were cooking demos, face painting, Thai fruits & veggies carving, and other things to see & do. Don't be too much of an early bird if you want to see the performances that will happen later on and can't hang on that long. It was already quite crowded when we left, and that was before the "excitement" of the night was to take place! I encourage you to make a point to go next year! read more

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All it is .. food trucks.. music .. tons of confetti poppers. Food booths and there was this guy doing tricks of some sort. Waited about an hour for the kogi truck. Saw a mini dragon dance and people smoking weed.. paid 10.00 for parking walked about 2 blocks. Lots of people read more

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_atmosphere/service: At first, it felt a little too crowded and overwhelming because everything was packed in 2 blocks. But after wandering around and finally getting some food in my belly (tending to my hanger), I started liking the atmosphere. Be prepared to wait a while for the food trucks because the lines don't get shorter! There are lots of great little booths selling handmade jewelry, sun glasses, cake pops, etc. Good, fun times! The KCRW DJs, bands, dance floor, and overall energy made the Central Plaza the place to be! _parking: If you can't find parking and don't want to park too far, you can park at the parking garage where Empress Pavilion is for $5, but it does close at 12am. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - The street. The people. The energy. - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This is a hard event to review in that different people come here expecting different things. I've been attending since the first year and it has continued to evolve. If you want live music, they have it. If you want DJ music, they have it. If you want arts and crafts, they have it. If you want food trucks (and if you are willing to wait in long lines to eat at them), they have it. And, of course, there is the various shops around Chinatown and the newly developed art gallery area of Chinatown, (though most of the galleries were closed during the most recent Chinatown Nights). So, it is all here; including a lot of people. Though I do attend, personally it is just not my cup of tea. The bands bring their fans, then they leave. The dance floor is filled with people too old to be doing what they are doing on a dance floor -- though I guess they are having fun. And, the arts and crafts are much better represented at places like the Renegade Craft Fair. But... It is something to do. Check it out if you feel like it. read more

Checked out the event during August 2019. Since Chinatown of LA isn't as famous as the ones in say NY or SF, I hadn't expected a lot. The plazas were beautifully decorated! The martial art showcases, live music and arts gave it an amazing atmosphere. What I would have definitely loved to have seen would be more local vendors. There were maybe five local Chinatown vendors and rest of it was just food trucks, which weren't even Asian/asian-fusion food focused. Come earlier for parking as it only became costlier and harder to find it as the most of the crowd came in post 7 pm! So I might return for the ambience but not the food. (Ofc there are amazing Chinese restaurants not far from the plazas as well but not part of the main event I believe?) read more

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This is our first time to the event. We found it on yelp by checking events nearby! We were not disappointed! There was no entry fee! It was not overly crowded... There are plenty of parkings on the street, in the parking lot of the Cathay bank or Ocean seafood restaurant. You can also take the subway. Since we live a few blocks away, we walked to the Central plaza. There are several stages of music. The area serving alcohol is barricaded. You do need to pay to get in. The other stage is opened to public. There are vendors and food trucks. There are magician, artists, street musician , and so on. It is quite festive! We are looking forward to the next event! This is their schedule: July 12 LA weekly live music stage: Wet & Reckless, Black Apples, Afternoons, Francisco the Man, Madison Diaz, Eastern Conference Champions. Food Trucks from 5 pm to midnight: Crepe N Around, India Jones, Jogasaki Burrito, Kogi truck, Tango Mango ice, TDS, Tomado Potato, Trailer Park Truck, Vizzie truck, Yalla truck. August 9 Music guest list is yet available. Food trucks: Crepe N Around, Don Chow, Good Greek Grub, The Greasy Weiner, India Jones, Lobos Truck, Sweet E's Cupcakes, Tomado Potato, Trailer Park Truck, Yalla truck. read more

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How awesome this is. Parking can be difficult so there's parking in the lots of street parking. The confetti is a must when you're here. Don't forget to make a wish at the wishing fountain. read more

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Fun time but not what I expected. Expectations: authentic Chinese exhibits, Chinese/asian food trucks or food stalls, cheap prices at the dive bars Reality: it was crowded, food was just random assortment of food trucks no emphasis on asian cuisine, drinks were pretentious LA bar prices. $8 for a tsing tao whaaaaaaa??? I can get a case for that price! We didn't show up until 9pm and missed all the food demonstrations and such. So maybe we go earlier to check that out. I am happy to see all the foot traffic and business coming through though. It's a fun time and I would go again now that I know what to expect. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Central plaza: live music presented by LA weekly that appeals to the more indie-alternative genre; along with KCRW djs. Another, separate stage shows acrobats, etc. Local vendors set up booths showcasing their crafts and merchandise. A whole alley is dedicated to food trucks: the variety is good but expect to wait in a cramped, crowded space. Eat beforehand or go a little early. I'd say that peak hours are around 8/9pm to the end. West plaza: art galleries, more artisanal goods like hand made soaps and wallets, culinary cooking demos, and Chinese calligraphy lessons. But it's not as crowded. Still as entertaining. BaTom Brazilian truck - chicken breast sandwich combo. It was tasty and worth the money. $11.50 for a huge sandwich (grilled chicken breast with pepperjack cheese, herb/garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and roasted red peppers on grilled sourdough), garlic fries (herb/garlic aioli with parmesan cheese; it filled half the tray, which is a big plus!) and a drink. Efficient and friendly service; orders are called by number. The Lobos Truck- Wachos is a unique item to the lobos truck: waffle cut French fries, with nacho toppings. Ordered the buff wachos that came with bacon, bleu cheese, ranch, and green onions. A lot of different flavors going on and not toppings weren't evenly proportioned (barely any bacon and the tiniest crumbs of bleu cheese). For $7.50 it left me feeling kinda queasy, probably from the greasy battered fries. I also noticed that they had salads, but...who eats those? Prices are a little high since everything is organic & service was really slow. Chinatown summer nights occurs throughout the summer, once a month from June through August. Check the CSN website for the schedule of bands and food trucks, since they vary every time. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - BaTom Brazilian truck: chicken breast sandwich combo, with garlic fries - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

So much fun music food family friendly and exhibits lots of confetti and Arts and chrfts

Spontaneously came here on a Saturday night and it so happens to be Chinatown's Summer Nights. It was very lively, lots of people out for a fun night. There was live music, lots of poppers, drummers, dragons and lots of food trucks. It almost felt like a Chinese New Year celebration. It was a lot of fun. Luckily, We found parking on the street. read more

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So fun! Music, dancing, shopping. Lights were great and KCRW DJ was energizing. Awesome time.

Okay, so the hype is real for summer nights! But it is extremely packed. It's hard to move around in the main area where the music is at. I'm the type of person that doesn't like to be squished in a crowd. In order to find some FREE parking, park on the streets, passing the location. You may have to walk a lot but hey, it's worth walking than paying $15. Of course, if you don't mind paying then go for it! Make sure to not park in red, if you decide to park in the streets. LA Weekly had a open concert as well! It was pretty cool too but crowded. As you keep walking to the main location, different locations have music playing too! Once you get there, people are popping out confetti which is pretty fun. Just be careful with your ears or don't pop it close to a person's ear! The price for these confetti poppers gets lower as you walk down. I think the lowest was $2 for a big one or $5 for 3. They did have a cooking show in the other side of the dj which was cool. You have to sit down in the white chairs to be able to get a free sample of the food. Have some water near by you, just in case of anything. Drinks are not free there. There's also long lines for food trucks or restaurants near by there! read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - LA Weekly is here too! - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I'm glad their working on revitalizing Chinatown. Well actually are they really revitalizing it cause it still looks wasted during the day. If anything it brings out people on a hot night and gives some business to the stores in the area. The people making the most money are the restaurants and the food trucks. We came here the other night and the only thing I enjoyed was the Dragon and Lion dance which was mediocre at best. They had various live bands and they were okay. It's cool to come out and support businesses and get entertained. read more

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Waking up with confetti pieces stuck to parts of your body you are confident were clothed means only one thing: one wild night. I've been to Chinatown Summer Nights religiously for the past 4 summers and it never fails to produce many memories. The kind of memories that are captured on Instagram and make every follower you have jealous they're not with you and convinced you lead the most glamorous, interesting life ever. In addition to food trucks, shopping, demonstrations, and flocks of people, there's two stages, one with live bands courtesy of LA Weekly and the other shows off whatever DJ KCRW throws at you for the night. There's loads of canons shooting confetti every which way, lantern lights for days, and a live tweet wall so you can have your 15 minutes of fame (guilty) for using the right hashtag. If you're not into crowds, people watching, music, or fun, then don't go, but if you aren't into any of those things, you're not welcome any way. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Dome arragto Mr. Roboto. Is that Chinese? Fun, Fun and more Fun. All while grooving to the beat under faux lanterns. So, I got word of Chinatown Summer Nights on Facebook. And as we all know, if Facebook suggests you do something.... you do it. So in an attempt to not spend my whole summer melting away in the hot desert sun I went. And had family tag along with me. I live in the IE, and they said "Beer Garden". That's when I made the executive decision to take the Metrolink. I was going for full hipster-chic avant garde. So, we parked and rode from the Rancho Cucamonga Station. Sorry San Bernardino, but you are just TOO ghetto. Once you get to Union station you take the Gold Line one stop and you are in Chinatown. PS if you take the metro on the weekend its only $10 ALL weekend. Score. Whats the first thing we did? We went straight to the food trucks, duh! I need to coat my stomach before I get chocolate wasted at the Beer Garden. Which consequently was nothing like a Garden, but a Beer drinking pig pen. I had the Frito Pie from Trailer Park Truck. OMG!!!!!!!!!! I love you Frito pie. You may ask "why the hell I got the Frito pie?", let me tell you. If you grew up in the hood the ice cream truck sold Chili Cheese Frito's. As in, a bag of Frito's with chili and cheese poured over it! So I was trying to go back down memory lane. And I was in Heaven. They give you a bag of Frito's, smothered in Angus beef, onion rings, BBQ sauce, and some secret ranch-like goo. YUM!. There were a ton of local artist selling fantastic art for cheap. Shout out to Atom. The DJs were on the ones and twos (DJ language). The band, well kind sucked. They had a great cooking demo and I ate 4 types of fungus. But it was amazing. But that bitter-melon, disgusting. My mouth is still angry with me. Cant wait to go back next year. I heart you Chinatown Summer Nights. read more

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My bf and I went to the Chinatown Summer Nights on a Saturday night. There were throngs of people after 10. We took the Gold Line here, which was perfect. There were lines of food trucks as well as street vendors. It was a lot of fun. read more

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It is events like these that make me love LA! Live music and DJ's, dancing, food, booze (21+ over area), vendors, cover is free and is open to the public - what else could you ask for? We arrived a couple of hours before sunset to avoid long lines at the food trucks and our first stop.... the food trucks. Lined up in sort of a narrow alley way there is a large variety - Korean, Brazilian, Sushi burritos at Jogasaki, crepes, India Jones for Indian food, and more. Ive never had Jogsaki so that's where we ended up first. Then we also tried food from Starry Kitchen Nights pop-up booth. Bring cash as it is easier and some vendors don't accept credit cards. There's all kinds of vendors from jewelers to people who sold succulents! They also had food demonstrations, face painting, and at night they they had Jason Bentley from KCRW on the decks. Park on the street if you can find a spot or park a few blocks away and pay $10 for a lot. It is also accessible by rail. It is just a fun event. People of all ages and races there to just have an all around good time. Can't wait til the next time! read more

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Thanks to Yelper Connie Z, I got my details straightened out: Chinatown Summer Nights is the super fun KCRW DJ/dancing/food truck thing going on at Central Plaza every Saturday in August - NOT the huge rave looking thing next to the tracks below Broadway. Apparently, the rave thing was Hard LA - and only for that night. Thank you Connie Z for correcting me!! read more

Just when I think I'm over LA, something like this draws me back in. Chinatown Summer Nights is like a hookup with an ex; you forget anything that you disliked about them and get caught up in the magic of the moment. Great musicians on the LA Weekly Stage. Delicious food trucks. Funky, cool, and even affordable vendors (those $5 charm necklaces were so fun). The ridiculous cartoon that is the Chinatown neon skyline. KCRW's DJ area, complete with dance floor filled with LA's diverse population, coming together to dance and launch confetti cannons and enjoy the summer. All that atop the already-fun Chinatown scene. And it's free. We'd come to LA for the weekend for the Mad Decent Block Party, a free concert in downtown LA. When circumstances made us decide not to go, we planned to see a free hip hop show at Grand Performances at California Plaza downtown. Then we heard about the free Chinatown summer nights event. All this free fun in downtown LA. THAT's why I lived here for 8 years! We've already set reminders in our calendar for next summer. When Chinatown Summer Nights return, I'll be at every one of them. read more

This was as much fun as people can have with their clothes on! It was my first time and it was SENSORY OVERLOAD for sure! Sights, sounds, smells....it was AWESOME! Fun bands, dj's spinning House music, people everywhere! LINES, LINES, LINES! The bad part was waiting to hit the FOOD TRUCKS, because they ran OUT of food! But the CURRY INDIAN truck was DELISH! I had GARLIC NAAN, since they were out of MASALA FRIES already! As were the CAKEPOPS! I did managed to hit the VELVET ROPE BAKE SHOP booth and eat a CHARDONNAY cupcake, which was OUT of this world and tasted just like wine! They are out of Sun Valley. Had a BLAST (literally) shooting the CONFETTI thingies up in the air! (see pic) they were 2 small ones for $5 or to big ones for $10. Just glad I don't have to clean of the millions and zillions of little coloured paper squares! it's a MUST GO! It was only for 3 days, but check KCRW, as it was sponsored by them! read more

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I really, really enjoyed this event. What's not to like? There were several food trucks, there was live music and beer gardens. The ambiance was great and the hipster art and vendors were fun. I liked browsing through the local stores and there was a lot of fun things going on. I'm so glad that I was able to go to this event. In 2012, you have one last chance to catch this event on the 25th of August. Check out their website for the music and food truck lineup! read more

This is my second year attending Chinatown Summer Nights and I think it is a really cool way to send time with families and friends and get to explore Chinatown at night. Keep in mind, this isn't a "night market" like the ones 626 and OC have. It is a night filled with food trucks, music, and culture. As you walk around the areas of Chinatown, you will see a lot of different aspects like projecting Chinese American films onto this big white screen, showcasing bands of all types of music, allowing you to sample and view a "celebrity chef" cook his/her specialty, etc.. There are lots of food trucks but the lines all seemed so long so I avoided them. There are also a lot of street vendors selling all types of things like jewelries, clothing, and street arts. Guys, be prepared to wait for your girls to browse through these vendors. One of the fun things about the CSN is the big cans of confetti that people buy and blast into the air while people and kids of all ages watch and admire and enjoy. Depending on where you buy it, these cans of fun vary in prices from small (2 for $4-6) and large (3 for $9-10). You might even be able to haggle if you buy a lot. Overall, this is a neat place to take your family or it can serve as a chill night for your squad. read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - if you see lanterns, you're in the right area - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Neon lights, confetti cannons, Shaolin warriors, lion dancing, food trucks, live bands, and red lanterns - these were all things that reminded me of my night out at Chinatown Summer Nights. To get here wasn't easy. I should have taken Metro Gold Line like many others. Driving around, most parking lots were expensive at $15 or $20, even located several blocks away from the event. No way am I paying that! Luckily, I found parking that was only $10, at the Bamboo Plaza parking garage, just steps from the action. Whew. I first came upon Bamboo Lane, which had a few local restaurant food booths and an outdoor bar area. The overall impression: uneventful, quiet alley, and there was no wait for food. In contrast, at the Central Plaza, it was bustling with activity throughout the night. With live DJs and bands, demonstrations, a beer garden, food trucks, and the new Bruce Lee statue, there was something for every one. Even small children were dancing to the music and chasing after confetti. It was definitely interesting to people watch that night. I just wished I had a bigger stomach and more patience to wait in line for more good eats in food truck alley. If you don't mind the crowds, Chinatown Summer Nights is worth checking out. It was family friendly, dog friendly, close to the Metro Gold Line, and open late. Be sure to bring cash for vendors that don't take credit cards. read more

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It has been years since I visited Chinatown and much has changed from my early childhood years to now. As many locals have moved on towards the SGV, it has left Chinatown a shell of its former glory with little to no business revenue coming to aside from local residents and tourists. This brings us to Chinatown Summer Nights, which I finally had the opportunity to attend after skipping out the couple times and it is definitely an interesting experience for first timers! The event pretty much encompasses the New Chinatown Main Plaza with your various food trucks lined up on the side. There are various booths selling your various shirts, sunglasses, and miscellaneous items, but the big sellers seem to be the confetti poppers that exploded every couple seconds! It is a great sell for some of the local businesses in the plaza that really need the support. There was also a DJ that played some pretty decent music and a Shaolin kungfu show featuring fist swinging kids. It is a pretty small event, and you can literally walk everything under an hour and take the confetti exploding pictures along the way. The highlight of the event was the little monkey (Tara) that was taking cute and funny pictures with people for donations. It kept trying to pull my rolled up dollar bill out of my hand during the picture, but it really attracted a crowd! In regards to the food trucks, I opted to try the sushi burrito and it was such a let down. It was $14.50 for a regular sized Lobster one and the contents was mostly imitation crab meat that was drenched in mayo with few pieces of actual lobster inside. It was also wrapped with soy paper versus the typical seaweed; I would avoid this truck at all cost and go for the Kogi Truck! Overall, it is a nice event that you should check out in the area! Enjoy some of the food trucks, purchase some confetti poppers, and catch some shows. I hope they add more things, boothes, and shows in the future, because it seemed somewhat lacking but still fun! It was great to come back to the location that I frequented often as a kid so many memories!! I would avoid paying for parking in the lots and look for street parking on Alameda!! read more

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Super fun event during summer that's...here it comes...FREEEEE! Yes people, this event is free. If you wanna grub, you gotta bring your own dough..no pun intended. KCRW throws some really awesome events and this is one of 'em. Resident DJs including Jeremy Sole make it out and spin world music, hip hop and straight up goods. People really get into the dancing and just have a fun carefree time. Shops, eateries and small galleries are open to walk around and check stuff out. On one side of Chinatown there's usually a cooking tutorial/show going on which is pretty cool to watch and learn. In the same spot, there are arts and crafts for kids and a local dance academy even did a traditional dragon dance. Groups of food trucks make it down and park on the backside for people to grub and try great new food! The only downside to this event is that it only happens a few times during summer every year. read more

Walking through the streets of Chinatown was like walking down memory lane. However, it has changed quite a bit. My friend and I visited this place because it was listed on Yelp's Events page. We were quite glad that we took the time to come down because we had a blast! We were worried that the place might be packed list most events, but it wasn't all too bad. We had to circle around for parking, but not too long later, we found a good spot. We walked about 2 blocks into the event and from a distance, you can already see the crowd of people walking around. The event was free and they had many things to see! There are two stages, one with live music (smaller bands that are unsigned) and one with a live DJ. Personally, the stage with the DJ was much more entertaining. The bands playing at the first stage was decent. Nothing that really impressed me. Right across from that stage is the beer garden. It's bordered off from the rest of the event...due to the age limit. You'd have to show your ID to get in. In the second stage, the DJ was blasting away. People were buying confetti poppers for about $4 a piece. It felt like New Year! People were dancing away, keeping their hands in the air while confetti was gliding all over the place. It was great dancing along or standing aside to people watch. What's great was that there was a mixture of people. Young kids, older adults, interracial couples - Caucasians, Mexicans, Asians, African Americans, etc. The only down side were all the people smoking weed. The space was quite large and it was crowded, so it was harder to catch people smoking weed. But for everyone else around the area, you can definitely smell it! You can even spot people smoking them without a care in the world! There were security guards, but they didn't do anything about it. When you pass the music festivities, there's are food trucks in a very tight alley. They're your typical food trucks that see at every other event...The Grilled Cheese Truck, Fluff Ice, etc. Also, there are vendors in the area where you can stop by to look at their merchandise. Across the street is a whole other thing. There's a station for kids to make Father's Day cards, a demo of culinary arts (with free sampling), and galleries. In little pockets, there are people demonstrating calligraphy, sculpting, drawing. There's a "Let's draw together" station where they laid a long piece of paper and had people pick up brushes to draw. I really liked the concept! Overall, the night was blasting away. The organizers did a great job at incorporating asian traditional with modern concepts. Many of the event were asian inspired, but it definitely didn't discourage anyone from different cultures. There were many activities throughout the entire events for people of all ages. I definitely recommend anyone to check this event out. For Summer 2014, there are two more days...every second Saturday of the month (June, July, and August). Check it out! read more

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Winding down the summer means remembering how hot it got at night yet how chill the atmosphere was as the music swayed back and forth in the air. Electricity ran through the people as easily as high voltage through filaments in the neon lights outlining the borders of Chinatown's architecture. It was hard not to crack a smile and laugh at the absurdity of the spectacle of giant stuffed lions and gorillas being thrown upwards within the crowd. Hands reached upwards as canisters of confetti shot upward to rain down in multicolor jubilance. The music was loud and the beats moved each arm and foot without resistance and it was these nights during the California summer where living meant not settling and letting yourself go completely. We all need cathartic release at times to shed all the weight of the things we carry throughout the year. We gain, we lose, we release. What better season than summer to go bananas. What better place than California? When Chinatown Summer Nights roll back again next year I'll be waiting with anticipation for the summer to welcome me back. read more

craft fair + eclectic music + food trucks = chinatown summer nights awesomeness !! The perfect trio to spend a beautiful summer's evening in Chinatown. I don't often come to Chinatown, but 89.9 KCRW promoted this event over their air and decided to come. I saw a diverse mix of people and ages. What a wonderful way to experience Chinatown--with music, food and the arts. My friends and I had a wonderful time! Craft Fair: I love shopping at craft fairs for their unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade pieces. [ Yelp had a booth and I got a yummy passion fruit scented SPF15 YelpStick (chapstick). I use it religiously ] There were over a dozen craft vendors that exhibited and sold their creations. I felt like a little kid tickled and amazed by the crafter's originality. There were beautiful hand crafted jewelry, wool plush dinosaurs, felt cupcake pin cushions, functional bags+wallets and so much more. I made two separate visits--in the beginning of the event for an hour and another hour after eating at the food trucks. The damage: Jewelry (www.angelicamariposadesigns.com) - Handcrafted and handmade pieces, I bought a beautiful+delicate 14k gold horse shoe necklace $25 (fab find! she gave me a deal I couldn't refuse), a unique+pink iridescent agate ring $40 (I've never seen anything like it and had to get it). Clothes+stuff - Somewhere in between the craft tents, I came across a thrift vendor. There were racks of clothes and a table full of jewelry, books and random knick knacks. I purchased a tawny colored below the knee-length dress $5 (bargain!), vibrant gold+turquoise bracelet $5 (steal!), second hand book of Jonathan Safran Foer's "Everything Illuminated" $3, Shakespeare's book of poems $3. Bargain hunting in full effect. Food Trucks: There were a handful of trucks lined up along one of the alley ways in Chinatown. I opted for the Nom Nom Truck (Vietnamese Sandwich) and ordered the Vegetarian Tofu Banh Minh Sandwich $5. It was all right. The sauce was a tad bit salty in my opinion. The truck's name out shined the food. DJ Music: Throughout the event, KCRW DJs spinned awesome tunes in Chinatown's Central Plaza. In the beginning of the evening were 80s mixed hits and indie/pop beats rocked the rest of the night. The live DJ set energized the dance floor with hipsters, first dates couples, and shy peeps (like me). I heart KCRW--their eclectic music and NPR programming. So 4 hours later, a full stomach, tired legs, and a bag full of goodies--I was a happy camper. I would have attended the rest of the Chinatown Summer Nights in the month of August, but I was out of town. I highly recommended them to my friends. Hope they continue this event next year! read more

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So glad I went! This year was my first CSN, and I am definitely looking forward to the next one. It's got music, artsy stuff (if you go to the exhibits), booze (for the 21+), confetti, food trucks, and fun people. And did I mention it's free? Lanterns, lights, confetti, laughter were everywhere -- it's a great place to be! read more

Chinatown Summer Nights - Hypnotizing lights - Festivals Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Had a great time last night.. So did my friends and family.... Can be very overwhelming to the faint at heart..Its so many people running around dressed up, dancing, singing-poppers and super loud music.. The lady selling the popsicles for a buck was one of my favorite vendors (pineapple basil).. The confetti poppers are great Until, someone popped it off and it got into my daughters eyes- just got the past piece out this morning..was on my way to the doctor when it finally surfaced because it was stuck flat in the corner of her eye and I couldn't get it out. I'm sure she's not the first or the last person this happened to.. we enjoyed the break dancers, the DJs, the live music, the food.. thanks for such a lovely event! read more

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