The Taiwanese American Student Association held its annual Night Market on April 24 in collaboration with the Associated Students Program Board, the Center for Taiwan Studies and the Residential Housing Association.

TASA is annually held at Storke Tower. Jaesa Verdaguer / Daily Nexus

Taking place at the Corwin Pavilion, this was the 19th annual Night Market hosted by the Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA). Night Markets are microcosms of Taiwanese life. They offer opportunities for entrepreneurship and date back hundreds of years to temple fairs. These markets evolved into a phenomenon due to xiaochi (roughly translated to small eats) and the unique and alluring atmosphere.

“It’s cool because I think this is the only group of clubs that actually get together and throw bigger things. It’s cool that there’s a bunch of them [clubs] brought together and there’s so many people,” third-year art major attendee Angelina Valdez noticed while taking in the atmosphere of TASA’s night market.

Third-year biology major Dilara Oner, who has been an active member of TASA since her first year, took on the responsibility of publicizing the event. Oner explained the immense effort that went toward the night.

“We start planning [the] night market really early. We start talking about it the very end of winter quarter actually,” Oner said. ”We have to get all the foods and vendors and organize all the different organizations.”

This annual event is normally held at Storke Plaza. Oner said that one of the reasons the event’s location was changed was because of the forecasted rain and therefore the need for access to a large indoor space.

“One of our biggest worries about switching it to Corwin was that normally it’s in the plaza, so anyone who is walking by to the UCEN can just wander in if they see it.” Oner said. 

However, this inconvenience did not prove detrimental to the event’s success. Oner was pleasantly surprised with the turnout, especially at the very beginning of the event.

“There was a line all the way out the arch earlier. Normally it starts slow, but it’s already packed right now,” Oner said.

Multiple attendees told the Nexus that food was a key part of their experience. For first-year electrical engineering major Andrew Jeong, the cultural dishes were his favorite part of the event, including those from Korean and Taiwanese cuisines.

Several organizations participated in TASA. Jaesa Verdaguer / Daily Nexus

Iris Robidoux, a third-year biology major, said she enjoyed the diversity in cultures at the event. Robidoux appreciated learning from the various cultures present at the event, especially about the foods being served and their cultural significance.

“It’s just so nice to be able to speak to everyone about their different cultures and then just see how happy everyone is. I think it’s just a really eye-opening event,” Robidoux said.

Throughout the market, student organizations sold art, taught Asian board games including mahjong and performed dances. Being in an indoor space with a raised platform was described by Oner as providing a more intimate and personal feel that added to the ambience of performances.

“It’s really nice to feel represented, like our cultures being represented throughout,” performer and third-year computer science major Krystelle Baluyot said. 

Students played games, including mahjong. Jaesa Verdaguer / Daily Nexus

Oner emphasized that she believes the event brought the culture that she missed from home to campus. 

“When you get to college, it’s kind of hard to find a community without clubs and I kind of missed all the cultural events and stuff back home. So finding a group of friends was really nice,” Oner said.

A version of this article appeared on p. 7 of the April 30, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.