The eighth season of monthly street-food festival Night Market returns on May 17 to the Burholme neighborhood at Cottman and Rising Sun Avenues. It will continue throughout summer with four stops in communities around the city.
Hosted by healthy-food-access nonprofit the Food Trust, Night Market brings the tradition of Asian night markets to the City of Brotherly Love. This seasonal event closes busy corridors to vehicular traffic to make room for dozens of food trucks, craft beverage vendors, outdoor art demos and live music—all the while encouraging a fun, festive atmosphere and highlighting the food and cultures that characterize some of the city’s most interesting, and sometimes overlooked, corners of the city.
Photograph: Dave Tavani
The Night Market 2018 season begins in Burholme, also known as Five Points, on May 17, from 6 to 10pm. In June it heads to the Gayborhood, at 13th and Locust Streets, just a few weeks after the Pride Parade kicks off there, on June 10. In August, it heads to Kensington, at Frankford and York Streets, for a hoopla in one of the city’s most up-and-coming ’hoods. The season closes out on October 4 in South Philly, at 20th and Federal Streets in Point Breeze, the very spot where the Food Trust got its start in 1992.
Photograph: Dave Tavani
Since its launch in 2010, the Food Trust has attracted 400,000 hungry revelers to 24 Night Markets across the city—from Mt. Airy to South Street to Chinatown and beyond. With a projected direct-spending output of $8.8 million since its inception, it’s also provided an outstanding opportunity for entrepreneurs in the city, who’ve been given a platform to share their goods with massive crowds.
Specific vendors at each location haven’t been released yet, but look out for food, drink and culture folks that complement each neighborhood. Stay tuned for more details.
RECOMMENDED: Check out our guide to the best farmers’ markets in Philadelphia this season