The lights, the food, the crowd and the humidity: a true Houston night market.

If you want to be entertained and experience Asian culture to the fullest, the Asia Society Night Market is the place for you. This year, the annual night market was hosted on Nov. 1, and in our opinion, it is a great place to hang out with friends and family. The market is held on the Asia Society’s lawn and parking lot, with stalls set up for attendees to browse, which we found really fun, finding everything from food and drinks to arts and skincare. All the elements worked together to create a fun experience, but some individual elements were unfortunately lacking on their own.

Performances:

Valen the Valentine: 6/10
There was a stage set up for live performances in the center of the outdoor space, and one of these performers was Filipino singer Valen the Valentine. She had a strong vocal tone and a very stable voice (which could have been due to autotune). But we feel like she overdid her performance with her attempts to hype up the crowd by constantly jumping around and waving to people as if they were her fans. However, no one returned the energy, and neither did her music (R&B isn’t the same as pop).

The Rhythmic Rani: 4/10
For an additional $10, you could buy a ticket to view indoor dance performances, which in our opinion, were noticeably better. We first saw a Bollywood dance done by The Rhythmic Rani, our least favorite out of the three indoor dances we watched. Their lukewarm stage presence and red outfits against red stage lights made it difficult for them to stand out. They also had a total of four members who weren’t as coordinated as they could have been. Their positioning could have been improved; large spaces between each member made it difficult to focus on the dance as a whole and made them look unorganized. The individual dancers had decent energy, but they were too spread out and it felt like four individual dances rather than one.

Wonderbox: 9/10
Thankfully, the next performance refreshed us. It could have been because we are K-pop fans, but the performances done by Wonderbox to a variety of songs were truly electrifying. Wonderbox as a whole had many members, but small groups danced to each song, which allowed each member to showcase their skills and tons of energy. They also took advantage of the light system, changing the color at every beat drop to engage the audience. Some of the songs they danced to included “Touch” by Katseye, “Chk Chk Boom” by Stray Kids and “Run for Roses” by NMIXX. The outfits matched a well-coordinated theme of silver, white and black, and each member styled themselves to stand out individually but still match the rest of the group.

UH Modern: 8.5/10
The next performance done by UH Modern produced the same amount of energy but with a different vibe. The dancers wore very comfortable streetwear and they seemed equally as comfortable on stage. Overall, their style showcased their casual vibe and their smooth moves as they danced to many hip-hop audios. The practice they put in could be seen through their synchronization, and solo moments were given for each member to showcase their talent. Similar to Wonderbox, flashing lights that changed for each beat drop paired with booming electric music. The performance definitely left a lasting impression on us.

Food/Drinks:

YoYo Drinks: 3/10
Our first taste of Asian culture at the Night Market was at YoYo Drinks. Don’t be misled by the name though; we bought Korean corn dogs and beef dumplings. We’re disappointed to say the corn dog didn’t meet our expectations. Maybe our standards were too high, but the rubbery cheese left us unsatisfied and the dough tasted raw. Unless you’re famished, this corn dog will not leave you satisfied. As for the beef dumplings, we thought they were slightly better than the corn dog, but they had a weird, bitter aftertaste. The wrapper was also crispy on one side and chewy on the other.

Magic Cup: 10/10
Our next stop quenched our thirst: Magic Cup, a fantastic boba stand. Between the two of us, we got a strawberry lychee green tea and a mango passion fruit green tea. From the first sip, both drinks were phenomenal and tasted exactly like they were advertised. They were sweet but not overly sweet (can you tell we’re Asian), and no artificial aftertaste remained like some other drinks have. They were also served in a decent cup size, making the $6 we paid worth it.

Saigon Arts Matcha Cafe: 9/10
Our final food destination was for matcha ice cream at Saigon Arts Matcha Cafe. The ice cream both looked and tasted spectacular. This soft serve was sweet and handed to us in large green swirls on top of a crunchy cone. As non-consistent matcha drinkers, we were worried the ice cream would taste bitter, but we were pleasantly surprised.

Other:

Besides the food and performances, the Night Market offered many adorable stands selling arts and crafts (gifts, art and apparel). We saw stands filled with candles, kawaii-themed keychains, hoodies, phone charms and jewelry. Small business owners displayed their colorful LED lights and eye-catching set-ups to entice customers, but the prices were atrociously high. A small keychain sold for $12, and a collection of phone charms cost up to $20. Overall, these stands are good for the eye but not for the wallet.

Overall, the annual Night Market offers a fun experience. We highly recommend paying it a visit, whether you go by yourself or with your friends. The combination of the bright energy and uplifting vibes really made the night a memorable experience, and we definitely will be back next year.