The lion didn’t dance; Argyle Night Market missed the mark at grand opening

Photo: unsplash.com/@tongsu.

I left the Argyle Night Market grand opening last night feeling underwhelmed. My guests to the neighborhood were disappointed, too. That’s not easy for me to say.

I can understand the smaller footprint due to CTA construction. I can forgive the spending less on resources in this economic environment. But there was one thing, as an Asian American, I couldn’t forgive.

I’ve walked these blocks for years. I’ve stood in line for steaming bowls of noodles and sipped Thai iced tea under the string lights like so many others.

But something felt off. Something was missing, not just in the programming, but in the soul of the event.

There was no lion dance.

No drummers.

No roar to announce the spirit of the season.

Uptown United, the organization behind the market, made a serious misstep.

They chose not to begin the opening night with one of the most meaningful and symbolic traditions in many East and Southeast Asian cultures, the lion dance.

Instead, they’ve tucked it into a later date in the series, treating it like just another attraction, buried mid-season instead of letting it lead.

To many, that may seem like a programming choice. But to those of us who understand the meaning behind the lion dance, it felt like a cultural erasure wrapped in well-meaning oversight.

The lion dance isn’t just for show

The lion dance is not just festive entertainment. It is ritual, tradition, and spiritual blessing all in one.

As we do in the ultimate Asian melting pot of Hawaii, and in my own family celebrations, to begin a gathering or celebration with the lion is to invite fortune, protection, and joy.

The pounding of the drums isn’t background noise. It’s a sacred soundscape, clearing away bad energy and welcoming good spirits.

The lion’s movements are drawn from martial arts. The synchronized rhythm of the drums mirrors its breath and heartbeat. The dance is a prayer in motion, a ceremonial cleansing of the space.

For centuries, this has marked the start of something important.

You don’t bury that tradition weeks after the opening of an event. You start with it.

A missed opportunity to lead with culture

Uptown United has long touted the Argyle St. Night Market as a celebration of the neighborhood’s Asian heritage.

And to be fair, they’ve done much to support the community over the years.

But the decision to omit the lion dance on opening night undermines the very cultural respect the event claims to uphold.

To push the lion dance to a midseason slot is to say it’s optional, decorative rather than meaningful.

It’s a lost chance to begin with reverence, identity, and tradition.

It flattens something sacred into a sideshow.

What the lion could have meant

In a neighborhood built by generations of immigrants from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Laos, and beyond, the lion dance could have grounded the market in ancestral memory and cultural pride.

It could have reminded us that this street, now bustling with food stalls and vendors, was once a landing place for refugees, a home for newcomers, a place of resilience.

The lion could have roared at the start, not just for good luck, but for recognition.

It could have set the tone, not followed it.

Let the drums speak first

A proper beginning matters.

The drummers and the lion announce, “We are here. We remember. We honor.”

They invite everyone, whether born here or newly arrived, to walk into the space with open hearts, clear intentions, and shared joy.

When that is stripped from the beginning, the event loses more than a tradition; it loses its center of gravity.

If Argyle St. Night Market truly wants to honor the communities it claims to celebrate, it should start with the lion.

Not because it’s flashy, but because it’s sacred.

Let the lion dance first.

Let the drums lead.

Everything else will fall into place.