Once the sun goes down, I have a hard time staying put. I’ve always been social and love to go out. If you’re like me, here are some events I’m involved in for this month. Just because it’s getting colder outside doesn’t mean you need to stay home. Bundle up and come hang.
The Charm City Night Market Pop-Up at Center Stage Baltimore
Remember how much fun the Charm City Night Market festival was? Of course you do because it was only a month ago. If you were hoping for another event by the same team that organized the festival (The Chinatown Collective), you’re in luck. They are organizing a pop-up night market event on Friday, November 9th at Center Stage in Baltimore. The event will bring authentic local Chinese and Asian food, craft vendors, as well as performances and DJs and is in conjunction with the premier of the new play, King of the Yees. King of the Yees is a play that is also a “love letter to the Chinese community.” And guess who’s emceeing this event? ME. I will be hosting the pre-party, the entire night market event and the VIP post-party. Let’s rage!
Ways to attend:
Purchase tickets to King of the Yees and get access to the Pop Up Night Market starting at 6 pm and ending at midnight.
Purchase tickets to King of the Yees and the VIP Post-show Party in the Deering Lounge for $85 (VIP Post-show Party tickets include tickets to the 8pm performance of King of the Yees and a receive traditional Chinese fare, a DJ, and cash bar).
Come just for the Night Market event! Advance tickets are $8, or $10 at the door.
The Katipunan 49th Anniversary Gala and Debutante Ball
My organization, The Katipunan of Maryland, is a non-profit, Filipino cultural association and the oldest of its kind in the region. I can’t believe it’s been around for 49 years! My parents were heavily involved (my mother herself was a past president) and I grew up immersed in it. Now I’m proud to be its elected Public Relations Officer which means I manage all of its social media, media relations, the book club, and I’m on the organizing committees for the annual Filipino Festival in Maryland, the Filipino Cultural School for children, and all of its youth programs.
The debutante ball is an important tradition in Filipino culture. For many girls, it’s as important as their wedding day. It’s a coming-of-age celebration which celebrates a young woman's 18th birthday, the age of maturity in the Philippines. According to our VP of Social Events, Aimee Real, “Today we also use this event, not just to honor tradition, but to highlight the achievements of these up and coming young women in our community. The debutantes and their escorts will be the future leaders, organizers and disrupters; they represent our hopes. The escorts are also not just a supporting role - they are a model of how our community can and should participate, lift up, and be proud of one another.”
This year we have seven young women debuting and seven young men as their escorts. Many of the children from the culture school (including my own children) will be performing some of the Tagalog songs they’ve learned this year as well.
The gala is black tie and takes place on Saturday, November 17th at 6 pm. To purchase tickets, click here.
*Keep checking back to this post as I will continue to update it with more events.
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I usually do a write up of the events I’ve organized or hosted and my most-read articles at the end of the year. This was an unusual year (obviously, there is no need to go into it here) so I didn’t bother. Instead I want to highlight a project of mine that I am particularly proud of — it’s my new podcast show, Unverified Accounts, that I cohost with my frequent collaborators, Chris Jesu Lee and Filip Guo. If you're a big movie/TV/book buff, have leftist sympathies, but can't stand 'wokeness' dumbing down our culture, then we're the podcast for you. So far in our 25 episodes, we’ve covered a range of contentious topics.