2ND ANNUAL CITY-WIDE LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION: KOREATOWN NIGHT MARKET, MARCH 3, 2024
Issued by the Performing Arts Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Los Angeles
I. Introduction
The Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Los Angeles (“DCA”) seeks to enter into a non-exclusive, project-based agreement with a qualified event producer (“Curator”) of Chinese, Korean and/or Vietnamese descent to conceptualize, curate, and deliver a new family-friendly event that has been added to the Performing Arts Division’s (“DCA|PERF”) program, the annual citywide Lunar New Year Celebration.
II. The Division
DCA|PERF serves as the heart of the City’s support of live dance, music, theater, and digital media artforms, offering Angelenos low-cost rental opportunities at six professional, DCA-managed performing arts centers and two public/private partnership theaters. In addition to rentals — and at the core of its mission — DCA|PERF also produces world-class programming locally, catalysts for economic development, community engagement, and civic education and pride. When producing its programming, DCA|PERF uses an independent, peer-review panel and process to select artists who respond to calls, and who create and present programming across the City. DCA|PERF’s community-focused programming shapes attitudes, counters cultural stereotypes, and inspires creativity. Both DCA|PERF’s programming and its arts centers play an essential role in the ongoing economic recovery and the revitalization of our City’s creative communities.
III. The Program – LNY24
In 2023, DCA|PERF launched the first-ever citywide Lunar New Year Celebration, which presented multiple Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese, culturally-specific events over four weekends in January, in six council districts across Los Angeles. In 2024, the programme will expand to ten events, adding an eighth council district. The goal is to present programming in all 15 Los Angeles City Council Districts by 2028. Events include cultural dance, food and arts festivals, film screenings, street fairs, parades, story-telling, and spoken-word performances.
Links to archival photos and more details about the Lunar New Year Celebration are available upon request.
IV. The Scope of Services – Koreatown Night Market
In 2024, the Year of the Dragon in many Asian cultures, DCA|PERF is expanding the Lunar New Year Celebration to ten events in eight council districts. One of the new events is a family-friendly curated Night Market that will be free and open to the public in Koreatown on Sunday, March 3, 2024. The Night Market should include arts and crafts stalls, food trucks, and cultural entertainment in an outdoor performance space.
The Curator will provide the following services (including but limited to):
1. Identify the location for the Night Market;
2. Design a festive atmosphere, welcoming visitors of all ages and cultural backgrounds within the designated event space, including décor reflecting the Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese traditions;
3. Define the performance space, and have necessary staging built and then struck at the end of the event;
4. Contract from a reputable theatrical production house all production and technical elements, including but not limited to power generators, audio, visual, and lighting equipment, and necessary trusses, platforms, cabling, and production expendables;
5. Secure and schedule subcontractors to perform traditional, contemporary, and/or cultural Lunar New Year performance elements throughout the duration of the event, including, but not limited to acrobats, dancers, DJs, magicians, musicians, and other entertainers that reflect communities that observe the Lunar New Year celebration;
6. Guarantee and schedule traditional Dragon and/or Lion Dancers to perform multiple times throughout the event;
7. Create family activity spaces for intergenerational engagement such as crafts centers;
8. Set food purveyors to offer food and nonalcoholic beverages for sale to attendees; Secure approval and all necessary permits for closing the affected streets;
9. Ensure onsite security will be present from load-in, to event day, through load-out;
10. Coordinate waste receptacles and post-event clean-up;
11. Contract and maintain the “port-a-potties” for the duration of the event; and
12. Utilize social media and other outlets to promote the event in advance of the day.
V. Fees
For the completion of the above services DCA|PERF will pay a fee not to exceed $65,000.00.
The City of Los Angeles does not front-fund projects. Payments will be made when the Curator meets deliverable benchmarks. The final payment will be made after the completion of the project, the Curator meets all necessary criteria, and may take up to four (4) months to be fully disbursed.
VI. Application Process
Recipients of 2023-2024 Grants from DCA are not eligible to respond to this call.
Only one application may be submitted per Curator. Proposals must include a description of the work to be created, and all performance styles of Chinese, Korean and/or Vietnamese entertainment are welcome. Video samples such as B-roll and/or still photographs from previous, similar events may be attached to submitted proposals. All entertainment and decor for the Block Party must be suitable for audiences of all ages.
Preference will be given to Curators or arts organizations based in the Los Angeles City Council District 10. To determine if an organization is within the council district boundaries visit https://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org. Results will reflect Los Angeles City Council District numbers and the LA City Councilmember’s names listed under Elected Officials. Proposals from Curators based in adjacent districts and communities will also be considered.
A complete application consists of answering all the questions below and submitting the required documentation to julia.chavez@lacity.org by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The subject line should read Koreatown Night Market [Your Name].
Response proposals must include the following:
1. Contact information for the primary Curator;
2. Evidence of connection to Council District 10, or Koreatown;
3. A 100-word description of the proposed event and services provided;
4. Examples of relevant past projects and examples of prior work and pertinent materials in digital formats or web links.
VII. Selection Criteria and Process
DCA|PERF will review submitted proposals for completeness and qualifications. Selection for a contract award will be made based on meeting the following criteria:
• Responsiveness to the specifics of this call;
• Expertise and experience of Curator and/or firm(s) in providing similar services;
• Creativity and innovation of past work history.
Given the cultural traditions associated with the Lunar New Year, DCA|PERF is seeking Curators with a history of providing authentic services within Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese communities. DCA|PERF also encourages the submission of proposals from underserved and/or underrepresented Curators or firms owned by minorities, women, immigrants, and veterans. DCA|PERF does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, national origin, disability, or veteran status in consideration of this award. The City of Los Angeles is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
VIII. The Fine Print
The following terms and conditions apply to all responses to this call:
1. DCA|PERF reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted; to select one or more responding parties; to void this call and the review process and/or terminate negotiations at any time; to select separate responding parties for various components of the scope of services; to select a final party/parties from among the proposals received in response to this call. Additionally, any project elements, requirements, and schedules are subject to change and modification. DCA|PERF also reserves the unqualified right to modify, suspend, or terminate at its sole discretion any aspects of this selection process, to obtain further information from any responding parties, and to waive any defects as to the form or content of this call or any responses by any party;
2. This call does not commit DCA|PERF to award a contract, to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a response, or to contract for any services. All submitted responses become the property of DCA|PERF as public records. All proposals may be subject to public review, upon request, unless exempted as discussed elsewhere in this call;
3. By accepting this call and/or submitting a proposal in response thereto, each responding party agrees for itself, its successors, and assigns, to hold DCA|PERF and its affiliated entities, the City of Los Angeles, and all of their various agents, commissioners, directors, consultants, attorneys, officers and employees harmless from and against any claims and demands of whatever nature or type, which any such responding company, its representatives, agents, contractors, successors or assigns may have against any of them as a result of issuing or revising this call, conducting the selection process and subsequent negotiations, making a final recommendation, selecting a responding party/parties or negotiating or executing an agreement incorporating the commitments of the selected responding party;
4. By submitting responses, each responding party acknowledges having read this Fine Print in its entirety and agrees to all terms and conditions set therein;
5. Responses shall be open and valid for a period of seven (7) days from the due date.
IX. Anticipated Schedule
Action Date
• Call Issued Tuesday, December 26, 2023
• Deadline for Submissions Tuesday, January 2, 2024
• Selection of Curator / Contract Awarded Tuesday, January 9, 2024
• Term of Contract Begins Monday, January 29, 2024
• Term of Contract Ends Sunday, March 10, 2024
Proposals must be received no later than 11.59pm on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. DCA|PERF is not obligated to consider proposals received after this date and time.