626 Night Market – OC
Orange County's biggest annual foodie event went from must-attend to mediocre in 2026
Held at the OC Fairgrounds, the Orange County version of the popular 626 Night Market – formerly called the OC Night Market – offers attendees the opportunity to sample foods ranging from authentic Asian street fare to trendy Instagram snacks and drinks. Historically, dozens of vendors were featured at each event, typically with plenty of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, and American culinary representation, as well as sprinklings of Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Hawaiian, and other cuisines.
As of 2025, the number of grilled meat and grilled or fried seafood vendors had increased significantly, through their marinade and spicing recipes represented several different cultures; Tastetastic Jamaican’s jerk pork and chicken were particular standouts on both flavor and value. After a change in event ownership, however, the 2026 event increased the number of non-Asian food vendors while increasing prices and compromising on vendor quality to the point where we walked out early rather than sticking around.
In past years, some of the vendors were Night Market-exclusive or representative of small restaurants, focusing on a handful of particularly compelling or at least eye-catching items. But as of 2026, many appear to overlap with booths found at county fairs, serving funnel cakes, smash burgers, fried chicken, churros, beef jerky, dirty sodas, nachos, and other basic foods – occasionally (but not always) with a twist. Seeking anything interesting, we tried and enjoyed Vietnamese coffee versions of creme brulee ($10, Atelier Anlynette) and banana pudding ($12, Banana Mama) before leaving.
Repeat visitors will still find endless offerings of giant squid, “wagyu” burgers, and juice-filled baby bottles, but over the years, the Night Market has also brought interesting items into the local food mainstream, including Korean cream cheese buns, fresh sea urchin in the shell, and butterfly pea mango sticky rice, to name just a few. The biggest “trending” flavor of the 2025 event was Dubai chocolate (with kataifi and pistachio cream), here offered in premium-priced funnel cakes, taiyaki, and strawberry cups at quite a few stands. Fewer places had Dubai offerings in 2026, but well-worn Hawaiian concepts (including shaved ice, rice bowls, and musubi places) became more prominent.
Like county fairs, the Night Market also attracts novelty stands, in the past introducing Filipino deep-fried watermelon balls that weren’t worth ordering for any price, let alone $6 for two; they tend to show up for a year, then get replaced. There have also been knockoff stands like Rated R Ramen Burger, which (unsuccessfully) cloned Ramen Shack’s famous ramen burger, and miniature versions of several well-established Orange County brick-and-mortar restaurants (most recently including Shin-Sen-Gumi, Gen KBBQ, and coconut dessert stand Melo Melo).
Admission ($6) and parking ($15) charges tend to be reasonable, offsetting individual food item prices that have become crazy high. While everything is thankfully purchased directly from vendors rather than using tickets, many booths now offer small savory items at $18 to $20 – sweet tanghulu sticks are commonly $12 each – and “baby bottle” drinks now start at $22, so expect to budget $80 to $100 per person. Once you’re through the front gate, you’ll also find a (dwindling) collection of local artisans, who tend to offer nice paintings, prints, clothing, and jewelry. Live music performances are also offered on a stage near the back of the market.
We previously considered the Orange County version of 626 Night Market to be a must-attend event for foodies, but as of 2026, we’d say it’s jumped the shark from a culinary perspective; it’s devolving into an oversized farmers market with admission and parking fees. At this point, we wouldn’t recommend visiting unless you’re willing to spend fine dining prices to eat grilled skewers and shaved ice; here’s hoping 626 gets some of its mojo back in 2027.