Monthly Thai street markets offer food and entertainment
By Shane Gomez
The Eileen Garnett Civic Space in Annandale was transformed into an extravagant and lively celebration of Thailand and its presence in Northern Virginia on Sunday.
This event marked the official grand opening of the monthly Thai festivals at that location. The first one, on May 11, was a soft opening.
Around 30 Thai vendors lined the street in front of the ACCA Child Development Center, selling a variety of food – from crispy giant squid to sweet coconut sticky rice to chicken skewers – plus other items, such as candles, crocheted flowers, and jewelry.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the stage, followed by remarks from Chuliepote Isarankura Na Ayudhaya, chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Royal Thai Embassy. Afterwards, there were dance performances, massage demonstrations, and a Muay Thai boxing exhibition led by Master Danny and his team.
“We started doing these markets to bring people together, bring communities together, and also to show Thai culture and the Thai community to the public here,” said Doi Phuenphiphop, chief operating officer of the NVA Thai Center, the organization that runs the events. “We are able to connect people, especially the Thai community.”
The NVA Thai Center began the markets two years ago at the Wat Yarnna Rangcee Buddhist Monastery and Thai School in Sterling. After the markets outgrew the space, they were moved last year to the City of Manassas Museum, where they are still held in addition to the Annandale location.
The NVA Thai Center, along with the Royal Thai Embassy and the Thai Restaurant Association of America, will help to organize the Sawasdee DC Thai Festival on Sept. 14.
The center also hopes to eventually develop a “Thai Town” in the D.C. area, similar to the Eden Center, the Vietnamese strip mall in Seven Corners, according to Phuenphiphop.
Approximately 340,000 people in the U.S. identified as Thai in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A large population resides in the D.C. area – particularly Northern Virginia.
Woodbridge-based Aromagic Candle was one of the vendors at Sunday’s market. Sopisa Gorospe, who is from Thailand, opened the small business in February. Every candle is handmade with organic soy and inspired by food – including mango sticky rice.
Gorospe at first was only interested in candle-making as a hobby. But that changed when she was one of nearly 60 people laid off from a software engineering company.
“I just decided, you know what, I’m going to make this happen, create my small business,” she said.
The Thai markets will be held every month at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space, 7200 Columbia Pike, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The next one will be on July 20.
Shane Gomez is Annandale Today’s summer intern. A graduate of Annandale High School, Shane is home from college for the summer.
