Organizers said this season's editions will expand on past offerings
San Francisco ’s popular series of night markets will return in the coming weeks to three neighborhoods. The Mission District, Chinatown and the Richmond will each host the evening festivals in May, continuing monthly through the summer.
The events first began popping up in The City three years ago as ways of filling city streets with foot traffic and revelry through arts, culture, food, music and more. Small business owners in the neighborhoods that host parties said they are excited for the upcoming season, as previous years gave residents reasons to explore parts of The City they might not otherwise visit.
Chinatown business owner Cynthia Huie said the neighborhood’s monthly night markets, which are held every second Friday from May to October, have allowed community residents and merchants to highlight “a living, breathing community full of history, creativity and heart. ” “There is nothing quite like watching residents and visitors come together to experience that through art, culture and food,” said Huie, who co-owns the On Waverly gift shop with her sister Jennifer.
As part of next week’s night market, the small business will host its own block party with live music and mah-jongg. Huie said the shop will have “aunties and uncles on hand” to teach visitors how to play the Filipino and Hong Kong versions of the popular tile game.
“Beginners are very welcome,” Huie said. Chinatown merchant Tiffany Tam said the neighborhood has “a lot to offer and the events that bring people in, I really appreciate that. ” Tam, the co-founder of Kim and Ono, a Grant Avenue clothing store, said she has taken advantage of the night markets by extending operating hours on nights when the event is held.
Instead of closing the doors at 6 p.m., Tam keeps her lights on for an additional three hours, allowing guests extra time to peruse the hand-printed, silk kimonos. In recent months, Tam raised prices on her kimonos, she said, largely due to tariffs issued by the Trump administration. Costs have gone up for the watercolor-painting supplies Tam and her team use to make their designs, as have the prices for importing Chinese silk.
The night markets bring boosts to business that Tam said help her offset the economic uncertainty. The family-friendly fun will also come to San Francisco’s west side, with the Heart of the Richmond Night Market. Back for a third year, the event takes place every third Saturday from May through August.
In addition to food vendors, a new addition this year, the night market also brings a rotating cast of musical acts, cultural organizations and other entertainers to Clement Street between 22nd and 25th avenues.
Ex // Top Stories Details of planned transfer-tax cut for pricey SF properties on the way Controversial proposal is aimed at boosting residential building activity, construction employment and the downtown economy Mayor celebrates progress bringing permitting into the digital age Applications for fire-sprinkler systems and street fairs alike are now being made night and day via city’s new online PermitSF portal San Francisco sees surge in hiring by OpenAI, other AI startups Artificial-intelligence firms are looking to hire hundreds of new workers in The City, but the sector’s job boom isn’t yet making up for prior tech industry layoffs Nico Schwieterman, the events and marketing manager for the Clement Street Merchants Association, said the night market is “a fantastic way to bring the community together and showcase all the amazing shops and restaurants and artists” the corridor has to offer.
In addition to more food vendors, this year’s festivals will have a second stage, which Schwieterman said will allow organizers to book more entertainment. He said each month’s edition will be “a bigger and better version of past years. ” “We love giving folks from all over The City a reason to come out and explore the Richmond,” Schwieterman said.
The Mission District gave residents opportunities to explore the neighborhood last year with the inaugural season of Valencia Live, a monthly night market that organizers said drew 40,000 people last year. Valencia Live is held along the corridor, between 16th and 21st streets, every second Thursday from May to October. Valencia Corridor Merchants Association President Ron Elder said the night markets showcase “the range and character of our merchant community in a way no single storefront ever could.
” For Mission Merchants Association President Ryen Motzek, the Mission District’s small business community is “unlike not just anywhere in The City, but I would dare to say anywhere in the country. ” In addition to showcasing small businesses, Motzek said the monthly parties also allow the neighborhood to show off treasures like the neighborhood’s public art collection. Through exploring the neighborhood, Motzek said he hopes visitors find reasons to return long after a night market has concluded.
“Maybe they’ll get introduced to a business they hadn’t been at yet, and then that’ll be a new returning customer,” Motzek said.
Mission Chinatown Richmond District Night Markets
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