Awesome Event Alert: More than 80 food vendors will converge on South Street tonight for the Food Trust's largest Night Market ever from 6 to 10 p.m. (Photos by D. Tavani for GPTMC)
Blockbuster street food festival Night Market Philadelphia returns tonight with the third event of its 2013 season and the biggest Night Market ever, transforming South Street into an alfresco eating and entertainment destination from 6 to 10 p.m. with nearly 80 of the city’s best food trucks and restaurants.
Tonight’s Night Market is set to take over nine blocks of South Street, from Front to 9th Street. These streets will be closed to vehicular traffic from 3 p.m. on to prepare for the eating and drinking extravaganza.
A whopping number — nearly 80! — of vendors are slated to set up shop along South Street, with tons of local South Street, Queen Village and Bella Vista restaurants, beer by Sixpoint Brewing and food trucks stationed throughout the nine-block festival. (See below for a full Night Market map.)
Alongside the eats and brews, this Night Market brings out a tremendous selection of entertainment curated by Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens ART/GAGE and produced by Mole Street.
And for all of the photo-happy market goers snapping Instagrams, be sure to use the hashtags #NightMkt and #SouthStreet and then stop by the Visit Philly booth at 6th and South streets to pick up a free mini print of your Instagram photo. Check out more details below.
Read on for our complete guide to Night Market South Street. See you there!
The Food
With food and drink options from more than 80 vendors — the largest lineup ever — it’s best to come early (to try and avoid the long lines) and come hungry (to taste everything).
Among the nearly 80 vendors coming to Night Market South Street tonight will be Nomad and its delicious pizzas baked on site. (Photo by D. Tavani for GPTMC)
New Night Market vendors include Cherry Bomb Bus, Cheu Noodle Bar, Lil Trents Treats and Prime Stache.
Plus, there are 10 South Street restaurants setting up shop to represent the neighborhood. Keep an eye out for booths from Bistro Romano, Bridget Foy’s, Copabanana, Hot Diggity, Lil’ Pop Shop, Nomad Pizza, Sip-n-Glo Juicery, Supper, Brauhaus Schmitz and Xochitl.
Perennial favorites not to miss include arepas from Delicias, local ice cream from Little Baby’s, tacos al pastor from Los Taquitos de Puebla, mac ‘n’ cheese from the Mac Mart Cart and loaded hot dogs from The Dapper Dog.
The Drinks
Wash down all of the great grub with a nice selection of beverages. Sixpoint Brewing Company will be on hand with finely crafted brews at two booths, one at 5th Street and the other at 2nd Street. (See map below for locations.)
In addition to beer, look for hard cider from Frecon Farms, cocktails from Philadelphia Distilling and local wine from Penns Woods Winery.
No one will go thirsty on South Street tonight.
The Live Music and Entertainment
South Street is home to iconic arts destination Philadephia’s Magic Gardens, and tonight’s Night Market incorporates the amazing artist community fostered in the area with with excellent entertainment curated by ART/GAGE, the gardens’ annual summer arts festival.
The festival within the festival will span South Street from Front to Ninth streets with emceed stages at 2nd Street and 9th Street, activities within the gardens on 10th Street, a DJ at 5th Street, body painting at 6th Street, and roving performers throughout the event.
Highlights of the night are sure to be the crazy ceramics battles from The Clay Studio, sugar sculptures by Sarah Whitt and performances from the headlining bands, The Late Ancients and Strand of Oaks.
For the complete lineup of ART/GAGE performances, check here.
Instagram Your #NightMkt #SouthStreet Experience A Get A Free Instaprint From #VisitPhilly
Night Market is a delicious and extremely photogenic event, so while you’re out there on Thursday be sure to Instagram the scene and the eats you enjoy and tag your photos with the hashtags #NightMkt and #SouthStreet, and, as always, #VisitPhilly.
Then, stop by the Visit Philly booth to pick up the free prints of your Instagrams!
After snapping your shots and tagging your photos on Instagram with the hashtags #NightMkt AND #SouthStreet, just stop by the Visit Philly booth at 6th and South streets to pick up a free mini-print of your Instagram (or Instagrams).
Remember, your profile must be public to enjoy a free mini-print of your Night Market Instagrams.
Meanwhile, visitphilly.com will be feeding in the best shots online at visitphilly.com/NightMkt for everyone to see.
Instagram Contest
Like we said, Night Market is both delicious and extremely photogenic. And we want to see your photos. So to add another incentive to the pot, we’re holding a photo contest tonight.
Here’s how it works: take your best photo of Night Market South Street and post it to Instagram with three tags: #NightMkt, #SouthStreet and #VisitPhilly. Tomorrow, we’ll select our five favorite Instagrams with those three tags and those five people will each win an awesome Philadelphia Neighborhoods canvas tote bag and a $25 gift card to Serpico, South Street’s hottest new restaurant (and one of the hottest in the entire city).
And that’s it. So get out there tonight, take some Instagrams, tag them with #NightMkt, #SouthStreet and #VisitPhilly, and repeat. You can submit multiple photos for consideration. (See official contest rules here. And just like for picking up a free Instaprint above, your Instagram profile must be public to enter this contest.) Entry tip: we’re looking for photos that show how Night Market Philadelphia is an awesome Philly event. And with today/tonight’s insanely gorgeous weather, we we feel like you guys are going to be taking plenty of amazing photos.
We can’t wait! See you out there.
Inside Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens
During the festival, the Magic Gardens will be open to the public from 6 to 10 p.m., offering guided mini-tours, cool beverages and hands-on tile activities.
The special mini-tours will take place every half-hour from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and give a “taste of the gardens,” providing visitors with behind-the-scenes access, a make-and-take souvenir and a free beer, donated by Fergie’s Pub included with entry. Admission to the gardens is $10, and includes mini-tour, one beer and a hands-on activity.
Getting There and Parking
South Street is super accessible via foot, bike and public transportation. Street closures are going to mean limited parking, so walking gets our vote for the most highly recommended mode of transport to tonight’s event.
For travel by SEPTA, check out the trip planner here.
Where To Hang Out On and Around South Street After Night Market
Want to keep exploring after Night Market ends? The neighborhood has a ton of great restaurants and bars to check out after you wrap up your visit to Night Market.
Check out our Bella Vista neighborhood guide to the area’s restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as the Queen Village and Bella Vista guides on Visit Philly’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods section for a great map of places to stop by afterwards.
Follow Uwishunu
Be sure to follow Uwishunu on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the evening. We’re totally psyched for this event — it’s going to be a great one.
And check out the official Night Market map below.
See you on South Street, folks.
Philadelphia Night Market: South Street
When: Thursday, August 15, 6-10 p.m.
Where: 5th and South streets
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.thefoodtrust.org
FULL VENDOR LIST
• ALLA SPINA
• BISTRO ROMANO
• BONJOUR CREPERIE
• BRIDGET FOY’S
• CALLE DEL SABOR
• CANTINA DOS SEGUNDOS
• CAPOGIRO GELATO
• CHERRY BOMB BUS
• CHEU NOODLE BAR
• CHEWY’S
• COPABANANA & REDWOOD
• COSMIC CAFÉ
• CUPCAKE CARNIVALE
• DELICIAS
• EL ZARAPE
• ESPOSITO’S PORCHETTA
• FARM TRUCK PHILLY
• FFM
• FOO TRUCK
• FRECON FARMS
• GIGI & BIG R
• HOT DIGGITY 2
• JIMMIES CUPCAKES
• JIN+JA
• KA’CHI TRUCK
• KAMI TRUCK 4
• LIL DAN’S LUNCH TRUCK
• LIL’ POP SHOP
• LIL TRENTS TREATS
• LITTLE BABY’S ICE CREAM
• LOCAL 215
• LOS TAQUITOS DE PUEBLA
• LUCKY OLD SOULS BURGER TRUCK
• MAC MART CART
• MADE IN THE SHADE LEMONADE
• MAMMA MARIA ITALIANO
• MCCROSSEN’S TAVERN
• MESA FRESH
• MOMPOPS
• MUCHO BUENO
• NOMAD PIZZA
• NOT BY BREAD ALONE
• PAYNE CATERING
• PENNS WOODS WINERY
• PHILADELPHIA DISTILLING
• PITRUCO PIZZA
• PLENTY CAFÉ
• POI DOG SNACK SHOP
• PRIME STACHE
• READY WILLING & ABLE
• RELISH
• REUBEN ON RYE
• SAMMY CHON’S KOAGIE TRUCK
• SAMOSA DEB
• SAY CHEESE PHILADELPHIA
• SIP-N-GLO JUICERY
• SIXPOINT BREWERY
• STELLA JEANNE’S
• STREET FOOD PHILLY
• SUGAR PHILLY
• SUM PIG FOOD TRUCK
• SUPPER’S SCRATCH BISCUITSy
• SURF AND TURF TRUCK
• SWEETBOX CUPCAKES
• TACO MONDO
• TASTE OF LAO & THAI
• THE COW AND THE CURD
• THE DAPPER DOG
• THE FLAVOR SPOT
• THE TOT CART
• TYSON BEE
• VEGAN TRUCK
• VERNALICIOUS
• WURSTHAUS SCHMITZ
• XOCHITL
• YUMTOWN
• ZEA MAY’S
• ZSA’S ICE CREAM