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Hundreds gather to eat, dance, and shop in downtown San Francisco\u2019s Financial District for\u00a0Bhangra & Beats Night Market on May 10, 2024. San Francisco is expanding night markets to the Mission, Fillmore and Visitacion Valley.<\/p>\n
Camille Cohen\/Special to the Chronicle<\/p>\n
San Francisco\u2019s push to turn streets into outdoor gathering spaces<\/a> is expanding this year, with a second season of Valencia Live!<\/a> in the Mission, a new Fillmore night market series and a proposed first-time event in Visitacion Valley.<\/p>\n The three announcements offer the latest sign that city leaders, merchants and private funders are leaning even harder on free street festivals to bring people back to neighborhood business corridors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mission District\u2019s Valencia Live! returns with expanded footprint<\/p>\n Kids slide down the bounce house slide at the Night Market in the Sunset District of San Francisco on Sept. 15th, 2023. San Francisco is expanding night markets to the Mission, Fillmore and Visitacion Valley.<\/p>\n Felix Uribe\/Special to The Chronicle<\/p>\n The most established of the three is Valencia Live!, the monthly Mission District street party that debuted last year and returns May 14. The free event will run from 5-10 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month through October, shifting its footprint along Valencia Street over the course of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Organizers said the event will start on Valencia between 16th and 19th streets in May and June, move to 17th through 20th streets in July and August, and then to 18th through 21st streets in September and October.<\/p>\n The series will include live music, DJs, salsa lessons, art vendors, outdoor dining, family activities and cocktails to go, according to organizers. Carnaval San Francisco will program the main stage at Valencia and 18th Street, with Mariachi Jalisciense Sandra Alvarez Hernandez, Cuicacalli Escuela de Danza and Los Peludos scheduled for the May 14 kickoff.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Organizers said Valencia Live! drew about 45,000 attendees across six events in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cValencia Street has always been independent, creative, and diverse \u2014 that\u2019s what makes it special. Valencia Live! builds on that spirit while bringing the foot traffic our small businesses need to thrive,\u201d Ron Elder, president of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association, said in a statement.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fillmore After Dark expands into year-round night market series<\/p>\n People converge at the Chinatown night market in San Francisco on Apr. 12th, 2024. San Francisco is expanding night markets to the Mission, Fillmore and Visitacion Valley.<\/p>\n Felix Uribe\/Special to The Chronicle<\/p>\n The\u00a0Fillmore is also getting a broader year-round series built from a familiar holiday event.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fillmore After Dark Night Markets began May 22 and is scheduled to return Aug. 21, Oct. 16 and Dec. 11 on the 1400 block of Fillmore Street at O\u2019Farrell Street. Organizers said the free event runs from 4-9 p.m. and will feature food vendors, live music, artisan booths, community spaces and a kids zone.<\/p>\n The series is being presented by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Civic Joy Fund, Livable City, Citizen Film and Burge LLC. Organizers said it is meant to highlight the Fillmore\u2019s cultural history while supporting local businesses and artists.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis market aims to honor the culture and history of the Fillmore and create new opportunities for local businesses and artists to thrive,\u201d Civic Joy Fund Executive Director Luke Spray said in a statement. \u201cThis is a chance for the Fillmore community to celebrate what makes this neighborhood so special, and an invitation for surrounding neighborhoods to come and explore.\u201d<\/p>\n Visitacion Valley plans its first neighborhood night market<\/p>\n In Visitacion Valley, organizers are planning what they describe as the neighborhood\u2019s first night market. The Leland Night Market, organized by All My Usos with funding from the Civic Joy Fund, is proposed for Aug. 28 and Sept. 25 on Leland Avenue between Bayshore Boulevard and Peabody Street. Organizers said the event would run from 4-8 p.m. and include food, music, vendors and community resources.<\/p>\n They said the project is being developed with neighborhood groups, schools and local partners, with funding intended to support local hiring as well as stipends for youth, artists and cultural performers.<\/p>\n \u201cVisitacion Valley has always been a culturally rich neighborhood, it just hasn\u2019t always had the investment to match,\u201d Spray said in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited to be doing this market with All My Usos. They\u2019re deeply connected to this community, and are well-suited to combine everything people love about night markets with a full slate of neighborhood resources.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Civic Joy Fund\u2019s growing role draws scrutiny from artists<\/p>\n Main stage on Grant Avenue at Jackson Street during the Chinatown night market on January 8, 2025. San Francisco is expanding night markets to the Mission, Fillmore and Visitacion Valley.<\/p>\n Scott Strazzante\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n All three events have some level of support from the Civic Joy Fund, whose growing role in San Francisco street festivals\u00a0has drawn criticism from some artists and organizers.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, that criticism has escalated into calls for boycotts, as first reported by Coyote Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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