L.A.'s latest viral party spot is … Seafood City. Yes, you read that right

Under the glow of fluorescent lights astatine Seafood City marketplace successful North Hills, packages of pre-made adobo, salted shrimp fry and and dried anchovies glisten successful nutrient coolers.

A DJ, dressed successful a accepted barong, blasts a creation remix of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” arsenic a assemblage gathers to instrumentality a changeable of food condiment together.

“That was disgusting!” a antheral shouts into the mic, flashing a grimacing expression.

At Seafood City, DJs 1OAK, left, EVER ED-E and AYMO rotation successful barongs, the Philippines’ nationalist ceremonial shirt.

The smells of lechon and lumpia interval done the air. Smiling children munch connected halo-halo (a Philippine dessert made with ube crystal cream, leche flan and shaved ice). Flags of the Philippines question successful the aerial arsenic a antheral successful UCLA Health scrubs hops into the halfway of an energetic creation circle. Employees sprout store coupons retired of a wealth weapon and flip bags of Leslie’s Clover Chips into the crowd. Fathers clasp their children connected their shoulders arsenic a radical of assemblage students execute a Tinikling routine, a accepted Philippine creation successful which performers measurement and hop implicit and betwixt bamboo poles.

“This is truthful Filipino,” a pistillate says, successful awe of the scene.

Sabria Joaquin, 26, of Los Angeles, left, and Kayla Covington, 19, of Rancho Cucamonga deed the creation level astatine “Late Night Madness” successful North Hills.

“I came present for groceries,” explains an aged man, adding that helium decided to enactment for the party.

Seafood City, the largest Philippine market store concatenation successful North America, typically closes astatine 9 p.m. But connected definite Friday and Saturday nights, its nutrient oregon seafood aisle turns into a lively creation level for “Late Night Madness.” On societal media, wherever the gathering has exploded, it looks similar a multigenerational nightclub that could usage dimmer lighting. But for attendees who predominant the store, it’s much than that. It’s a abstraction for them to observe their Filipino practice done food, euphony and creation successful a acquainted setting.

“This is thing that you would ne'er expect to hap — it’s a market store,” says Renson Blanco, 1 of 5 DJs spinning that night. He grew up going to the store with his family. “My ma would [put] america each successful the minivan and travel here, and she’d fto america tally free,” helium adds. “It’s comfy here. It’s harmless here.”

The archetypal Seafood City determination opened successful 1989 successful National City, a suburb of San Diego, which has a astir 20% Asian colonisation including a affluent Filipino community. For its founders, the Go family, the ngo was simple: to supply a marketplace wherever Filipinos and radical wrong the diaspora could comfortably talk their autochthonal connection and bargain acquainted products. It’s since go a assemblage anchor. Of the astir 40 locations successful Northern America, astatine slightest fractional of them are based successful California, which has the highest colonisation of Asian Americans successful the United States.

The archetypal “Late Night Madness” lawsuit happened successful September successful Daly City, Seafood City’s newest location. The institution wanted to motorboat a thoroughfare nutrient programme astatine the store’s nutrient hallway successful a amusive and originative way.

The DJ played a enactment of hip-hop, pop, psyche and classical Pinoy records similar VST & Company’s “Awitin Mo, Isasayaw Ko.” Hundreds of radical showed up, and videos of radical of each ages turning up successful the fashionable supermarket dispersed similar wildfire. So the institution decided to proceed hosting the lawsuit successful October during Filipino American History Month and for the remainder of the year. It’s since expanded to much locations astir the state and successful L.A., including Eagle Rock.

By 10 p.m. astatine the Seafood City successful North Hills, astatine slightest 500 radical are dancing successful the nutrient section, adjacent to rows of saba bananas, caller taro leaves and bok choy. The lively assemblage forms creation circles passim the night, taking turns jumping successful the halfway to amusement disconnected their moves to songs similar Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove,” “Nokia” by Drake and Justin Bieber’s “I Just Need Somebody to Love.” At 1 point, TikToker and creator Adamn Killa hops connected the mic and says “If you a Filipino baddie, this is for you,” earlier doing his viral dance.

Among the Philippine thoroughfare nutrient offerings were pandesal sliders, lumpia-style nachos, lobster balls and assorted skewers.

A radical of employees creation down the antagonistic arsenic they service bare patrons who capable their trays with assorted Filipino thoroughfare nutrient including pandesal sliders (soft Philippine breadstuff filled with adobo, lechon oregon longganisa) and Lumpia Overload (think nachos, but a furniture of lumpia alternatively of tortilla chips), lobster balls and barbecue chickenhearted skewers. (No intoxicant is served.) Meanwhile, a fewer lone shoppers sprinkle into the store to get their play groceries arsenic euphony blasts done the speakers.

First-generation Filipino American Andrea Edoria of Pasadena says “Late Night Madness” reminded her of the household parties she attended arsenic a kid successful L.A. and successful Manila, wherever her parents are from.

“Growing up arsenic a kid of immigrants, I was benignant of aforesaid conscious astir displaying excessively overmuch of my culture,” she says betwixt bites of spiral fried potato. She went to the Eagle Rock lawsuit with her parent past period arsenic well. “So it benignant of fed my interior kid to spot truthful galore radical celebrating this shared civilization and acquisition that we each grew up [with].”

A multi-generational assemblage is drawn to the creation floor. At halfway is Jade Cavan, 44, of Chatsworth.

Members of the Filipino American Student Assn. astatine Cal State Northridge execute a tinikling performance.

She adds, “I deliberation it’s truthful important particularly present astatine a clip wherever our state is truthful divisive and civilization is benignant of being weaponized, I deliberation it’s a beauteous reminder that we tin travel unneurotic and find thing that unites us.”

About 10 minutes earlier midnight, the market store is inactive bustling with activity. A creation conflict breaks retired and radical statesman hyping up the young women. The DJ transitions into slower tracks similar Beyoncé’s “Love connected Top” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The remaining folks sing on loudly arsenic they locomotion toward the exit, smiles imprinted connected their faces. Staff unreserved to cleanable up, past huddle unneurotic for radical photos to memorialize the evening.

After the last opus is played, employees unreserved to cleanable up the supermarket.

Patrick Bernardo, 34, of Van Nuys looks astatine the counter, wherever a antheral had been chopping lechon, earlier stepping outside.

“There’s hardly thing near connected that pig,” helium says, pointing to it arsenic impervious that the nighttime was a success.