Latest news with #SunsetNightMarketCollaborative
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.'
San Francisco Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
This event delivered big when S.F. needed a win in 2023. Organizers canceled it for 2025
San Francisco's Sunset District night market — the wildly popular post-pandemic event launched by Supervisor Joel Engardio — will not return for its third year in 2025. Organizers confirmed that the market will not be held this year and blamed it on delayed reimbursements from the city for events held last year. Though one merchant contacted by the Chronicle said he supports the event, others reportedly have said they no longer support the market and have soured on Engardio, who faces a recall vote in September over the permanent closure of a portion of the Upper Great Highway. Egardio acknowledged the market is 'gone … because the recall campaign poisoned local politics.' The event will return in 2026, said organizer Lily Wong. 'Due to a series of circumstances beyond our control,' Wong said, organizers didn't receive reimbursements for two night markets last year until May of this year — eight months after the last market. 'With this delay in payment, we did not feel confident planning another night market until we were fully reimbursed for the previous markets,' Wong said in a separate statement. 'The Sunset Night Market Collaborative is committed to planning and producing night markets to ensure the continuity of its success.' Wong said organizers are working with the mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development to create a night market 'more in scale with our community, and something the Sunset can be proud to have.' The department told the Chronicle in a statement that reimbursements were delayed 'due to a staffing shortage' and the night market organizers' 'slow submission of required paperwork.' The organizers were paid in full for last year's program in May after some back-and-forth to get the necessary information, according to the agency. 'Conversations about a future activation are ongoing, and we're excited to support an event that champions local businesses and celebrates API culture,' said department director of external affairs Kate Patterson. Last year the night market drew massive crowds of over 10,000, Engardio told the Chronicle, and a second one held in September drew more than 20,000 people after organizers expanded the night market. First launched in 2023, the event was seen by city leaders as a success at a time they desperately needed one, as San Francisco emerged sluggishly from the economic and social effects of the pandemic. A similar series, also popular, was launched in Chinatown. Organizers had intended to host another market this summer, but after the reimbursement delay, they've decided not to. Instead, Wong said, they are working to 'learn from the previous events and improve and enhance any future night markets.' 'We want to create diversity and work to uplift our community,' Wong said. The cancellation comes amid considerable turmoil for Engardio in his westside district. The first-term supervisor could be recalled in September over his championing of Proposition K to permanently close to cars part of the Upper Great Highway, to create a park. The measure passed by 54% of the citywide vote but residents on the west side were livid over the loss of a 2-mile stretch of the city's westernmost coastal boulevard. A business owner in the Sunset, Albert Chow, a supporter of the recall campaign and owner of Great Wall Hardware, told the San Francisco Standard, which first reported the cancellation, that many in the business community in Sunset have soured on the night market and feel that 'Engardio lacks leadership.' Chow did not return messages from the Chronicle. Wong said such detractors aren't representative of the neighborhood because the Sunset night markets have been very popular among residents. Engardio agreed, but also said the recall effort was tied to merchant opposition against him. 'The sunset night market brought joy and customers to Irving Street,' Engardio posted on social media Thursday. 'Now it's gone — not because of lack of interest, but because the recall campaign poisoned local politics. When small businesses lose, we all lose.' Daniel Ramirez, who owns Smokin D's BBQ on Irving Street and 23rd Avenue, told the Chronicle the night market has been challenging to manage. But it's also been a highly successful community-driven event that most merchants are happy with. 'Make no mistake: the vast majority of merchants along the Irving corridor found the Sunset Night Market to be a fantastic event and are eager to see its return,' Ramirez said. 'We're currently working closely with fellow merchants, the community, and organizers to explore how we can bring back another amazing night market experience.' Ramirez added that the night market is a 'true collaboration' between the Sunset, the city and merchants to create a 'fun, family-friendly event' to bring people to the neighborhood post-pandemic. Since then, it has become 'a resounding success,' both drawing enthusiasm for the west side and has been a catalyst for other neighborhoods to launch their own night markets.
