Update on Ktown FoodFest
Halloween Food Fest Takes Over 6th St to Showcase Multi-Ethnic Koreatown Cuisine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2014
LOS ANGELES – 6th St was closed down between Mariposa Ave and Berendo St on October 25th to 26th for the Halloween Food Fest presented by the KTOWN Night Market. This area is known to be the heart of Koreatown and is usually very busy, so shutting the street down was quite a feat for the organizers. Fences were placed along the edges of the sidewalks on 6th St for busy pedestrians passing through.
Foodies flocked to entrances on both sides to taste street food sold by a bevy of food trucks, restaurants, and chefs from the Greater LA area. Upon entering the festival, guests were pleased that organizers had prioritized customer satisfaction at their second Koreatown festival by bringing a solid line-up of 50+ food trucks and booths. Customers enjoyed relatively short lines, allowing them to try every item on their checklist, even at the most infamously popular stands and trucks like Ramen Burger, Pho Burger, Seoul Sausage, Chicken & Rice, and Fluff Ice
At the front of the festival towards Mariposa, Swirls Potato served seasoned potatoes on a stick, and, next door, Mama Musubi sold rice balls filled with different meats, sauces, and ingredients—such as their popular spicy Spam Sriracha Musubis. A couple booths down, health-conscious guests were pleased to find Ubatuba’s custom Acai bowls with toppings like granola, Goji berries, blueberries, bananas, and more. Across the way, White Rabbit Food Truck served Filipino-American favorites like pork tocino over rice topped with a fried egg—a dish with a perfect arrangement of crispy, tender, and gooey textures.
After an assortment of carnival games & shop stands, guests could find the trendy Shinsengumi & Ramen Burger booths, one selling traditional Japanese Ramen and the other an Eastern spin-off of an American classic. In addition, critically acclaimed Jinya Ramen sold their famous tonkatsu spicy ramen & pork buns as a combo for only $6 during happy hour. Towards the other side of the festival, various local Koreatown establishments like Ham Ji Park & Kong Ji Ne sold Korean favorites like kimbab, or Korean sushi rolls, & K-BBQ pork & beef skewers. Nearby, Seoul Sausage sold its famous Korean-American fusion street-foods, such as its “Flaming Balls,” or deep fried kimchi fried rice balls served with DMZ sauce—garlic jalapeno kimchi sriracha aioli.
Other highlights from the festival included visual art demonstrations, carnival games, sponsored giveaways, and more. Scratch Academy gave out free vinyl records with different art designs painted on top. Minion Me sold pop-art caricatures inspired by the minions from the film Despicable Me. Sponsors like Nongshim & Lotte handed out free products—such as Ramen and Korean snacks.
Overall, the night market successfully highlighted Koreatown’s diverse & unique assortment of food trucks, restaurants, chefs, and stores. The next KTOWN Night Market event is scheduled for March 21st & 22nd.
For more information on Halloween Food Fest, KTOWN Night Market, and participating vendors & sponsors, please visit www.ktownnightmarket.com.
On October 25th and 26th, a street closure on Sixth Street in Koreatown from Normandie Avenue to Vermont Avenue will make room for food vendors, pop-up stores, carnival games, and more at the inaugural Halloween Food Festival, presented by the KTOWN Night Market and Councilman Herb Wesson’s office of the City of Los Angeles, Council District 10. The street will be closed from 7:00 pm on Friday night until early Monday morning.
Popular restaurants from Southern California will congregate at the event, including popular eateries from LA’s Koreatown like Eight Korean BBQ, Ramen Burger, and IOTA Brew Café, as well as establishments from the Greater Los Angeles Area, including Shinsengumi, Swirl Potato, Mama Musubi, and more. Seoul Sausage—winners of Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race”—will curate the food truck lineup once again. While a handful of vendors at the event will serve Korean food, other cultures will also be represented to showcase the diverse culinary flavors of Los Angeles. And in the spirit of Halloween, the first 500 guests in costumes each day will receive free gift bags filled with KTOWN Black Cards, artist CD’s, sponsored goods, and more. In addition, guests can participate in numerous other giveaways and contests at the festival for more free products and prizes.
Based on prior events organized by the KTOWN Night Market team, Halloween Food Fest should attract crowds from all over the Greater Los Angeles area. The inaugural KTOWN Night Market event saw an upward of 70,000 guests over a two day span, and a majority of the food trucks, as well as some food booths, sold out earlier than expected. The organizers have refined their methods to give guests a more comfortable and enjoyable experience, which is why they decided to host this festival on a large public street.
The full food truck lineup, parking information, entertainment details, and attraction updates will be available on the next press release. Halloween Food Fest tickets are available now at www.ktown.eventbrite.com for $3 each, while tickets purchased at the event gates will cost $5.
For more information on the KTOWN Night Market, please visit www.KTOWNnightmarket.com or www.facebook.com/ktownnightmarket.
looking for food trucks 