Three Reasons to Attend the Uptown Night Market Experience!
Anika Dara.
summerbaby and Lee Taylor.
Host AJ Ryan.
summerbaby.
Dan Kiernan.
Amanda Davis.
Photos by Johnncy Ryan.
If you’ve never been to a night market, make it your mission to attend the Uptown Night Market, taking place in New York City this summer and fall. Night markets are bazaars that take place at night and are generally open-air style events dedicated to leisurely strolling, shopping, eating, and listening to music, which originated in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Chinatowns in several other regions of the world
Here are three reasons to attend this summer:
Bring your whole family. Last summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Uptown Night Market at 133rd and 12th Ave. at the Harlem Viaduct. Organized by Masc Hospitality, the same organization behind the Bronx Night Market, which had been running for the last four years. I was elated to find out this street festival — with live music — was being held in my very own neighborhood. When I attended, I noticed that people of all ages came out to enjoy the family-friendly event, filled with excellent music, cuisine, and merchants..
Support local vendors and businesses. This year, 2022, I am happy to report that the Uptown Night Market is now happening every month until November. In addition to this, the Bronx Night Market is celebrating five years at Fordham Plaza. Every second Thursday of the month and last Saturday of the month, the street festivals take place in Harlem and the Bronx. Local vendors are on hand to sell their clothing, candles, soaps, and jewelry, among other things. Food carts and trucks also line the street and plaza for one of the biggest monthly block parties in the boroughs.
The City Love NYC experience. Also, new this year, the music line-up features City Love NYC, which I founded with my good friend Brandon Camphor in 2016 at The Bitter End, in the West Village. It has been our delight to watch the show grow. So you can imagine how excited I was when Masc Hospitality invited us to partners. Every month, at both the Uptown Night Market and the Bronx Night Market, our neighbors in both boroughs can enjoy a full City Love NYC show featuring the City Love NYC band. Each set features three local artists and is hosted by AJ Ryan and AshtnMrtn. This spring and summer alone, we have featured music from Althea Walker, summerbaby, Dan Kernan, Amanda Davis, Anika Dara, and Lee Taylor.
So if you are in the NYC area, we invite you all to come out and join us on the second Thursday of the month in Harlem, or the last Saturday of the month in Fordham Plaza of the Bronx for a good, electric, positive time!
For more information and to keep up with our dates, please follow @citylovenyc on Instagram as well as @bronxnightmarket and @uptownnightmarket.
Kendolyn Walker is a creative based in Harlem who serves as producer and founder of The City Love Collective: City Love on the Radio, City Love NYC and the City Love Picnic.