First San Francisco Chinatown Night Market in 2024 to be held on March 8

（SAN FRANCISCO) With a significant donation from Civic Joy Fund, San Francisco Chinatown will continue to have night markets held year-round in 2024 starting March 8 on a Friday night from 5:30 pm to 9pm.

There will be nine night markets in total in Chinatown in 2024 from March to November. They are named as "BeChinatown Night Market on Grant".

"We will host one night market in Chinatown on second Friday night of each month in 2024," said Lily Lo, co-founder of BeChinatown and founder of the popular night markets in 2023.

Night markets have been a tradition for many countries in Asia for decades. There were night markets held at Portsmouth Square in San Francisco Chinatown in the past. The project stopped for over 20 years.

Due to the crime situation in San Francisco and the pandemic since 2020, Chinatown's economy has been hit hardest in the last several years.

Lo, who is also the CEO of the Northeast Community Federal Credit Union serving the small businesses in Chinatown, created the first night market in recent years in Chinatown in September 2023 to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It was a one-block long night market on 500 block Grant Avenue under the charming newly-installed lanterns which were also created by Lo. Lo's first night market was successful in attracting a good number of visitors coming to Chinatown on a Friday night on September 29, 2023.

On November 10 and 11 in 2023, Friday and Saturday, Lo extended her ideas of having a two-night and two-block night market on 500 and 600 blocks of Grant Avenue in celebration of the APEC Summit coming to San Francisco.

The APEC night markets received tremendous support with thousands of visitors packed Grant Avenue.

"There have been fewer and fewer visitors and tourists coming to San Francisco Chinatown in recent years. Our small businesses are suffering and struggling for survival. Two night market events in 2023 have proved that the idea of night market would be very much helpful for Chinatown small businesses," said Lo.

Lo is able to continue her Chinatown night market project in 2024 by the $100,000 donation from Civi Joy Fund which had also donated $5,000 for Lo's first night market in September 2023 in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the brand new lantern installation on 400 and 500 blocks of Grant Avenue.

Lo thanked the continuous support and generous donation from Civic Joy Fund which was co-launched in August 2022 by Manny Yekutiel, owner of famous Manny's restaurant, and Daniel Lurie, founder of Tipping Point Community and mayoral candidate announced in September 2023. The Civic Joy Fund is a newly-created organization that aims to increase civic engagement and assist in the economic recovery of San Francisco.

"Chinatown has been through so much over the last few years and, as a small business owner, I know how hard it has been to stay open given the economic times we’re in," said Yekutiel. "Our streets need to come back alive if we are to bounce back as a City as they are our most precious civic space."

"Night markets are one effective way to activate our streets and I’m honored to help ensure that Chinatown night markets can continue for an entire year through funding support from the Civic Joy Fund," Yekutiel added. "By backing the night markets, we're investing in the growth and prosperity of the Chinatown community as well as San Francisco as a whole. We must work together to thrive."

March 8 night market will be extended to three blocks at 700, 800, and 900 blocks of Grant Avenue between Sacramento and Jackson Streets. "A number of Chinese restaurants are located along these three blocks on Grant Avenue. It will be more convenient for the restaurants to join as vendors in the night market and offer more varieties of delicious Asian foods to visitors," Lo said.

A larger venue on Grant Avenue represents more vendors joining the March 8 night market. Lo said it would be around 30 vendors providing their specialty foods and drinks in the upcoming night market.

Like two previous night markets in Chinatown in 2023, BeChinatown will sell food vouchers at the March 8 night market for visitors paying by credit cards, since most of the vendors do not have the equipment to accept credit card payments from customers.

The foods and drinks sold by vendors at the March 8 night market will be prepared in advance in boxes or cups. Each box or cup at the night market booths will cost $5 or $10.