These Night Markets Are Lighting Up Cities
As farmers markets and food truck rallies now seemingly pop up everywhere, a new nocturnal trend has recharged the street food scene and illuminated the rich potential hidden in long-forgotten neighborhoods across the US. Inspired by the late-night street markets found in many Asian cities, more and more night markets have taken root stateside to expose a rich, cultural melting pot that has largely simmered unnoticed to US audiences. Here, we take a look at the most popular night markets shedding light on local culture from coast-to-coast.
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia
In 2010, The Food Trust and the William Penn Foundation created Night Market Philadelphia in order to support a robust local food entrepreneurial eco-system. While this is a consistent theme among night markets popular in both Asia and the U.S., Night Market Philadelphia is unique in that each market is held in a different Philadelphia neighborhood and co-hosted by a community partner.
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia
From East Passyunk to Chinatown and Fishtown to Powelton, the market has popped up along 14 commercial corridors in all. In essence, Night Market Philadelphia provides a living laboratory enabling community partners such as civic associations and neighborhood groups to gain the skills they need to host their own neighborhood-enhancing events. One such organization, Mt Airy USA worked with the Food Trust to host two Night Markets in 2011 and 2012. Using that experience, the community revitalization nonprofit now hosts an annual festival called the Mt Airy Street Fare bringing tens of thousands of people to explore the burgeoning dining scene along the Germantown Avenue corridor.
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia
Night Market staff helps each community partner with maneuvering through complicated permitting processes, logistical planning, optimizing foot traffic to neighborhood storefronts, marketing assistance and day-of staffing support. In addition to giving neighborhood organizations real-world experience and a template with which to organize similar events, the neighborhood and nearby businesess benefit by bringing in an average of 20,000 people to showcase their unique communities as places to live, visit or start a business.
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia
Philadelphia Night Market has meant big business to the City of Brotherly Love. Food Trust estimates that $8.8 million of direct spending and $223,000 in tax revenues have been generated at Night Market events between 2010-2015, leading to an economic impact to the city of Philadelphia of $13.7 million.
Image Credit: Night Market Philadelphia