Latest news with #SunsetAfterDark
CBS News
09-08-2025
- Business
- CBS News
With San Francisco's Sunset Night Market canceled, small businesses start their own event
Smokin' D's BBQ started as a pop-up, but has expanded into its first brick-and-mortar storefront on Irving Street. Lareina Chu says the now-canceled Sunset Night Market, which brought in an estimated 20,000 people last year, was great for restaurants like hers, but a letdown for others. "They closed down the streets so early. The banks, dry cleaners, they all need car access. They closed down the streets at 8 a.m. and that affected their businesses," said Chu. Chu and other small businesses are now banding together to create a smaller event called Sunset After Dark, while addressing concerns from other merchants. "This iteration, we're making it a lot smaller and not closing the streets down until late afternoon, which allows for a quicker setup and still allows access to all those businesses," said Chu. Rob Aiavao, an organizer with the non-profit Dear Community that's putting on this event, wants it to be for the community and small businesses, without relying on any city funding. "With the cancellation of the Sunset Night Market, the merchants along Irving Street saw that there was a gap that needed to be filled. For them, it was how can we build up a community event that is grassroots?" said Aiavao. Angie Petitt of Sunset Mercantile, which canceled this year's market, says the decision was a funding and logistical issue. "There's nothing political about our decision to put a pause on it. We really wanted to iron out what works best and how this should look for the community. That takes time to iron out," said Petitt. Chu is focused on running her business and creating an event that helps her neighbors, too. "We're trying to work with everyone in the neighborhood so it's successful for everybody," said Chu. No politics, just food, community, and business. District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio previously posted on X that the Sunset Night Market was canceled "not because of lack of interest, but because the recall campaign poisoned local politics." On Friday, he told CBS News Bay Area, he's "supporting this community-led effort." Sunset After Dark will take place on Friday, Sept. 26, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Irving Street between 20th and 23rd Avenues.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-08-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sunset District group plans its own night market after bigger event canceled
Less than a month after organizers announced that the popular Sunset District summer night market would not return for its third year, a group of local businesses and community organizations have begun planning a smaller, one-night event with hopes of attracting a portion of the thousands of people who attended the neighborhood's past celebrations. The Sunset After Dark event will occupy three blocks on Irving Street on Sept. 26, offering a 'celebration of food, culture, small business and the incredible people who make the Sunset special,' said Rob Aiavao, a spokesperson for the event's organizing team, in a statement to the Chronicle. Applications for both food and non-food vendors are currently open. Organized by local advocacy group Dear Community and Sunset restaurant Smokin D's BBQ, the event was 'born out of a desire to bring neighbors together and support the local economy,' Aiavao said, adding that neighborhood residents, merchants and school partners are involved. While visitors may see familiar food vendors and activities at Sunset After Dark, the event is separate from the city-funded Sunset District Night Market, which has drawn thousands each year since its launch in 2023. Many expected the market to return to the neighborhood this summer, but event organizer Sunset Night Market Collaborative announced the celebration would not be back for its third year earlier this month. It is scheduled to return in 2026. The cancellation came amid political tension in the neighborhood, as some merchants in the area who back the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio reportedly said they no longer support the night market. Engardio has been a vocal supporter of the night market, but he is facing a tough battle for his political position after championing Proposition K, which proposed to close part of the Upper Great Highway to cars to create a park. City-wide voters passed the measure by 54%, but local residents on the west side were furious over the two-mile closure. The massive growth of the night market and its varied impact on local businesses have raised questions about the future of the event, said Angie Petitt, co-founder of Sunset Mercantile — a member of the Sunset Night Market Collaborative. While some restaurants and vendors near Irving Street flourished, others — like dry-cleaners and salons — saw significantly less business in the daytime, Petitt said. On top of crowd management and ensuring there was enough food and activities for attendees, a lot of questions were left unanswered after last year's night markets exploded in popularity. In the meantime, Petitt said she is glad to see that businesses and local organizations are collaborating on the Sunset After Dark event, and hopes to support them in the planning process. 'While the Sunset Night Market is currently on pause, Sunset After Dark provides a fresh opportunity for the community to reimagine what a shared public celebration can be,' Aiavao said. 'We're working to ensure that it's truly rooted in local voices, organized by and for the neighborhood.' Engardio said Friday that 'politics have no role in a night market.' For him, the fact that businesses and local organizations have proactively led plans for a smaller night market demonstrates that the event was always intended to support the community. 'The residents and the merchants of the Sunset love night markets,' he said. 'I look forward to doing whatever I can to support the night market.'
