By Joseph Rodriguez, Oct. 24, 2023
The first-ever Bronco Night Market at the Bronco Commons treated students to an evening of fun festivities, live music and plenty of food Oct. 12.
The ASI event was a hit with more than 1,000 students showing up and a large variety of vendors displaying what their businesses had to offer.
According to Arleth Rodriguez, an ASI student activities assistant, extensive research goes into the process of obtaining vendors for these types of events. They choose unique vendors with products that will cater to college students.
The night market also included carnival games, photo booths, food trucks and even Billy Bronco was there to take pictures with students. ASI collaborated with the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Center to bring performing artists from their organization to play music throughout the night.
William Bissman, a history student, was enjoying the live music with his friend while also making new companions during the event.
“The event looks great,” said Bissman. “All the lights are amazing, and the band is really nice. I already met a couple of new people while I’ve been here, so I think it really brings all of us together.”
The night market drew in a crowd that exceeded the expectations of the ASI staff along with the attendees that showed up. With a high number of people attending came massive lines for food and vendors, but some employees working the event thought of it as a positive note for the night.
This event started off as an idea and later went into a proposal from the ASI staff. Then after it got approved, they started creating committees that met monthly to plan out the event.
The planning process also included some of the committees focusing on past events and finding out what would be better and different. One of the main goals in creating the night market was having an event that’s unique and gave students an opportunity to see campus as a social place.
There was a plethora of vendors such as Krystals Crystals which sold jewelry, pins, charms and other accessories. Another notable vendor was Sister’s Flower Bar, which sold build-your-own bouquets with roses and wildflowers as well as face-painting and portraiture booths.
Rodriguez claimed that ASI counted approximately 800 people the morning of the event and estimated the total attendance to be over 1000 people.
With various types of vendors for students to go visit, some of the most popular were the clothing booths.
One of the more desired clothing booths was Club Cosmo’s, a student-run clothing brand that aims for people to pursue their passions, inspire others and be a positive influence. Club Cosmo’s is co-owned by Matthew Liwanag, a visual communication design student at CPP.
Liwanag shared how the night market can help small businesses like his own.
“Definitely, popularity and a lot more recognition can come from being here,” said Liwanag. “I feel like here at Cal Poly there are a lot of young people, and fashion is very popular for them.”
With the second half of the semester rolling through and midterms coming to a close for most, students had a chance to forget about school and enjoy themselves.
“There’s a lot of people here, and you run into people who you may know or don’t know,” said Diego Manriquez, a construction engineering student. “The vibes are good, and the campus just feels like we’re all together tonight.”
Feature image and photo credit: Alexander Novoa