NightMarket.fun will return to Cedar Park’s Lakeline Park on Saturday, November 14, with an expanded music program and more than 100 local vendors offering food, cocktails, anime, art and other items. The festival celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture, with this year’s main stage taking on a full concert format led by Filipina-American rapper Ruby Ibarra.
Launched in Austin in 2024, the festival subsequently relocated to Cedar Park, where it is now an official city event. This will be its second year there. Organizers are the Lunar Foundation, an AANHPI arts nonprofit, and the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce. Lunar Foundation founder and executive director Andrew Lee told CultureMap by email that the event is placing greater emphasis on Asian pop culture and the Central Texas artists contributing to it.
The main stage program includes eight artists, among them promqueen and francene rouelle, plus two cultural performances. Ibarra, winner of NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Contest, will close the night’s performances. Programming was curated by mHart Media, the first Asian American music label in Texas. A separate stage operated by ATX Artists for Social Impact will host eight more performances and eating contests sponsored by H-E-B, with professional eater and online personality Raina Huang headlining the contests.
An app launched November 2 will help visitors find their way around the market and collect tokens when they visit vendors, giving them opportunities to win prizes at the event’s conclusion. The app will also collect data. According to Lee, that information will support a post-event impact report for artists, vendors and sponsors to help guide customer engagement after the festival.
New digital activities include the Kaiju Hunt, an augmented reality scavenger hunt developed by partner Illust. Original monster designs submitted online beforehand by the NightMarket.fun community will appear around the park through the experience, which also allows users to participate in a trading card game. Trainer’s Sandbox will introduce a Pokémon Takeover Zone with opportunities to learn the game, trade items from personal collections and see cosplayers.
Other programming includes galleries featuring professional local artists and community members, outdoor films presented by Alamo Drafthouse and children’s activities. A women’s wellness lounge will feature offerings from several cultures and a quiet nursing area. Food and drink vendors include Chi’lantro, Red Dragon Bao, Two Sisters Kimchi, Aburi Oshi Sushi, Happy Lemon, Thai Treats by Tien and Tito’s Bar.
The festival runs from 4 to 10 p.m. at Lakeline Park, 1510 Alexis Dr. General admission tickets cost $32.55 and are available online. Children’s discounts and add-ons, including parking and eating contest entry, are also available.
