{"id":125773,"date":"2026-01-08T22:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T22:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125773\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T22:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T22:57:13","slug":"sunset-night-market-to-return-after-last-years-political-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/125773\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunset Night Market to return after last year\u2019s political chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a year marked by bruising political fights, one of the Sunset\u2019s most beloved community events is returning.<\/p>\n

Organizers announced on social media that the Sunset Night Market will be back this year, a revival of the popular festival that was canceled<\/a> in 2025 amid turmoil over the Great Highway closure and the recall effort against Supervisor Joel Engardio.<\/p>\n

The Irving Street series will kick off Feb. 27 with a Lunar New Year celebration,\u00a0organizer Sunset Mercantile said on Instagram (opens in new tab)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lily Wong, a staffer with the Sunset Chinese Cultural District, said there are plans for four night markets this year, all tied to Chinese holidays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, we\u2019re doing more Chinese cultural programming,\u201d Wong told The Standard in Cantonese.<\/p>\n

\"\"City officials attend the Sunset Night Market in 2024. | Source: Noah Berger for The Standard\"\"The February market will scale back to five blocks of Irving Street. | Source: Noah Berger for The Standard<\/p>\n

She said organizers have secured a permit for a June 12 market tied to the Dragon Boat Festival. Two others are under consideration for later in the year, potentially around the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice, with the possibility of being held on Sunset commercial streets besides Irving.<\/p>\n

The night market series, funded by the city and spearheaded by Engardio, launched in 2023. It expanded from three to seven blocks in 2024, becoming a huge success and inspiring similar events across the city.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s series was canceled as Sunset voters launched the recall that led to Engardio\u2019s ouster. Although the contentious political climate was largely to blame, organizers also complained that the city failed to pay them on time as the event grew too large to manage.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Office of Economic and Workforce Development said it will be supporting the night markets this year. Wong said organizers are receiving a $100,000 city grant, along with sponsorships.<\/p>\n

Smokin\u2019 D\u2019s BBQ owner Daniel Ramirez, who organized a one-time, privately funded event dubbed \u201cSunset After Dark\u201d<\/a> following Engardio\u2019s recall, confirmed that his offshoot is on pause, given the original series\u2019 return.<\/p>\n

The February night market will scale back slightly to five blocks with dozens of vendors, Wong said. A separate program, \u201cTaste of Irving,\u201d will focus on supporting brick-and-mortar businesses along the corridor during the event.<\/p>\n