"The very non-political concept of a neighborhood night market got very political during the Recall Joel Engardio campaign, but the Sunset Night Market is back for 2026, and has its first event on Friday, February 27. Sometime since about 2023, San Francisco has caught night market mania for these neighborhood-specific outdoor street events with food trucks, vendors, live music, and often even open containers of alcohol."
"While some Sunset business owners put together a smaller, privately funded one-off version called Sunset After Dark, there were serious questions whether the Sunset Night Market would return in 2026. The Sunset Night Market will indeed return in 2026 according to the event's co-organizers at Sunset Mercantile. "Exciting News, San Francisco: Sunset Night Market is BACK for Lunar New Year 2026! they said in a Wednesday social media announcement."
Neighborhood night markets became popular in San Francisco around 2023, featuring food trucks, vendors, live music, and often open-container alcohol. The Sunset Night Market grew large and popular, attracting around 20,000 attendees, celebrity participants like chef Martin Yan, and political attention from candidates courting Asian-American voters. In 2025 the Sunset Night Market was placed on hiatus amid concerns that the event had become unwieldy, costly to produce, and entangled with the politics of the Joel Engardio recall. Local businesses staged a smaller Sunset After Dark event while organizers planned a full return. Sunset Mercantile announced the market will resume for Lunar New Year 2026.
Read at sfist.com
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