The Dahnke Ballroom in Duncan Student Center will be alive with sights, sounds and smells from around the world Thursday. The annual Night Market, sponsored by the Taiwanese Student Association (TSA) and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, will host booths offering a wide variety of cuisines, as well as performances and an art exhibition.
TSA president and senior Christopher Moy described the event, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m., as a “a spoof of an actual Night Market in Taiwan, so that tends to be a lot like a really chaotic street fair, with a lot of different kinds of foods.”
“TSA Night Market is really about exploring different cultures through different lenses, so we try to provide different mediums for Notre Dame students to come and see that,” he said.
Moy said the Night Market began as a collaboration between TSA and the Japan Club, but has grown rapidly over the years. This year, 12 different cultural clubs at Notre Dame will operate market booths, including the Asian American Association, Brazil Club, Japan Club and Hawaii Club. The McDonald Center for Student Well-Being, also known as “McWell,” will also be running a table.
“McWell targets conversations that aren’t as present in our communities, and I wanted to create a presence for them there,” Moy said.
The Night Market will also feature performances by Project Fresh, Encore! by Notre Dame Chorale and Mariachi ND. This year, for the first time, student art will be exhibited at the Night Market as well, Moy said.
“We got regular students to send in pictures of the times they visited the places where they’re from,” he said. “We’re also trying to offer the opportunity for minority students to showcase their artwork, as well.”
Admission to the Night Market will be free and open to students, faculty and the general public. Attendees can purchase food and other items from the different booths with tickets. On the days leading up to the Night Market, TSA handed out tickets (two per person) in Hesburgh Library. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the event — one for $1, six for $5 and 13 for $10.
Moy said he believes the diverse cultural representation at the Night Market reflects the diverse and welcoming nature of Taiwan.
“I’m not fully Taiwanese, but I can go there and sort of feel at home. … It’s a place where people are welcome,” he said. “That’s what TSA Night Market has become. I guess in some ways, it’s skewed from just Taiwanese street eats, and sort of become a place where cultures can come and feel welcome around each other, and we can offer anybody at Notre Dame the opportunity to come to our table.”
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