….and that’s a wrap for the 2023 Night Market season! Sign the petition!
The future of Chinatown Night Market is in your hands! Tell the City we need infrastructural upgrades to Forsyth Plaza so we can keep the Night Market in Chinatown for years to come. We need electricity, lighting, and public bathrooms on the plaza to continue the Night Market.
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Join Think!Chinatown for the third year of our summer series of food, art & music at the iconic gateway of the Manhattan Bridge. This open-air cultural festival features Chinatown-focused programming alongside local art & food vendors.
Artisans of traditional folk art crafts like paper cutting art, sugar painting, and braided straw figures demonstrated their artform, all of which were available for purchase. To check out our growing list of vendors… just keep scrolling!
Night Market events happen at Forsyth Plaza (Forsyth & Canal St), 8-11pm on a Friday once a month in the summer months. 橋頭夜市集市活动位于科西廣場（科西街 【Forsyth St】和坚尼街 【Canal St】）。此夏季的月度街市活動时间为每个月的一个週五晚上8至11時。
Chinatown Night Market is a place for our community to come together, celebrate, and claim safe space in our public realm. This series is an evolved continuation of 2021’s Chinatown Nights. Let us know if you want to be a vendor.
Read our September Chinatown Night Market press release here.
Get the latest Chinatown Night Market updates by signing up for our newsletter.
Chinatown Night Market is presented by Think!Chinatown in partnership with Asian Americans for Equality, sponsored by Citizens, and produced with support from di Domenico + Partners, Leroy Street Studio, Buro Happold, Fried Frank, and Gehl. Thank you to our city agency partners, Dept of Small Business Services and Dept of Transportation. Thank you to our community safety partner, Nonviolent Peaceforce.
A look back at “Chinatown Night Market” 2022
“There has been a lot of fear in our community about coming out, especially at night, even in our own neighborhood and using our own public spaces. Community celebrations like the Chinatown Night Market are important for healing, especially after these past couple years. We need spaces where we can be together.”
SEPTEMBER’S FEATURED PERFORMERS
Intermittent performances throughout the night at 8:30, 9:15 and 10pm
A one-night-only performance inspired by the epic Journey to the West, featuring a mischievous life-sized monkey puppet, classical Chinese music, and a few surprises throughout the night. A celebration of storytelling and magic, The Monkey Vanishes is brought to you by a collective of artists who have worked with companies and shows such as The Metropolitan Opera and Harry Potter & The Cursed Child on Broadway.
FEATURING
SEAN DEVARE - Puppet design & performance, creative design
JESSE FREEDMAN - Illusions designer, creative design
JOHN TSUNG - Production, creative design
BA BAN CHINESE MUSIC SOCIETY - Music performance
LEAH OGAWA - Puppet performance
Special guests - MARGARET YUEN, TUÂNMINH ALBERT ĐỖ
Find full program notes here!
YIUYIU 瑤瑤
Pulling from family collections inherited from longtime Chinatown members and her own family, YiuYiu (aka Rochelle Kwan) takes us back in time. We travel to 1950s-80s Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, and also to the homes that these records once rang through. This project is a community effort rooted in fostering intergenerational relationships and dance floors through music and memory.
Photo: Cindy Trinh @cindytrinh.photo
KEEP THE NIGHT MARKET RUNNING
This is a community-ran event, meaning it would not be possible without the hard work, care and dedication of our T!C team and volunteers who have come together to make this happen. Think!Chinatown is committed to hosting accessible events for our Chinatown neighbors. We appreciate and need any donation you can contribute. Thank you, we can't wait to be in community with you.
Check out the index below to learn more about each vendor!
Braided Straw Figurines by Ms Meifang Shi
Calligraphy Names by Mr Tang
Dough Figurines by Mr Xun Ye
Framed Calligraphy by Mr Huang Jianting
From Here to Sunday
Grand Tea & Imports
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kopitiam
Mrs Jiang's Smoothies & Sweet Soups
Nha Trang One
Paper Cut Portraits by Mr Ming Liang Lu
Pho Master
Pinklady Cheese Tart
Round K By Sol
Sister Ping’s Peking Duck and Noodle Stall
Sugarcane Daddy
Sugar Painting by Ms Yan Sui
The Little One
Traditional Paper Cut Art by Ms Ling Tang
Tri.Club
Twisted Potato
Whistle and Fizz
Xiang Mini Cake
Xi Ne Du (Bo Zai Gao)
Yan Wo Dou Bun (Soy Bean Milk)
YaYa Tea
Yu & Me Books
8OX Set
Index of Chinatown Night Market Vendors
Be sure to check the list above to see which vendor will be at the next night market!
Yan Sui - Sugar painting artist
Mastering art, performance, and culinary prowess, Ms. Yan practices the traditional Chinese folk art of Sugar Painting.
Using hot liquid sugar to create two-dimensional figures, her live performances dazzle school events, senior centers, religious functions, and weddings. Suggested paintings include the dragon, fish, monkey, dog, bird, and flower basket.
Kopitiam - Nyonya (Malay/CHINESE) eats
James Beard Semifinalist, Kyo Pang, carries forward and preserves the cooking traditions of Nyonya cuisine.
“At Kopitiam, or ‘coffee shop’ in Hokkien, we serve as a daily gathering space introducing visitors to Nyonya cuisine, primarily a hybrid of Chinese and Malay flavors drawing ingredients and techniques from both cultures along with sprinkles of influences from the Portuguese, Dutch, and the British.”
Meat Asia BBQ
With the goal of becoming cultural role models for the AAPI community, Meat Asia offers authentic BBQ flavors from all over Asia.
“We strive to be as authentic as possible, little touches that give our customers that unique Asian street food taste that you can't quite put your finger on. From the type of charcoal we use, the variety of palm sugar to the pickling technique– these are the little things we stay true to that lets you know we're the real deal. We all have Asian mothers and we've all picked up their tricks and recipes over our lifetimes so it's a collective of truly authentic origins.”
Alimama - mochi donuts
Specializing in GF mochi donuts & specialty cream puffs, Alimama Tea handmakes everything using the best natural ingredients.
“Welcome to Alimama Tea, where we blend the flavors of yesterday with today's best natural ingredients, guided by clean minds, calm hearts, and compassionate spirits. Everything is handmade in house and always fresh. “
Paper Cut Portraits by MINGLIANG LU
A Shanghainese master of traditional Chinese folk arts, Mingliang Lu can cut a client’s portrait out of a piece of paper in under 5 minutes.
In his daily practice, Mingliang puts his own spin on the traditional art form by turning his clients into his muse. He is able to effortlessly cut a portrait of his client out of a piece of paper in under 5 mins, all in front of a live audience, while engaging in his easy going chatter. Make sure to stop his booth to watch his expert shears in action and to get yourself this unique Night Market keepsake.
Xiang Mini Cake - HK style egg waffleS
A favorite among those who grew up in Chinatown, Xiang Situ has been serving his various flavors of egg waffles since 2010.
Mr. Xiang Situ came to America in 1991, and worked as a diamond setter for over 10 years. After all of the jewelry manufacturing workshops moved away from Chinatown, Mr. Situ studied to get his food license and began selling food to make a living for him and his family. His regular spot is on the corner of Canal and Mott. On weekdays, he operates his cart from 11:30am-7pm, and from 10am-7pm on weekends – closed on Wednesdays in inclement weather.
Mrs. Jiang's sWEET SOUPS & Smoothies
Ms. Jiang sells fresh juices, smoothies, & bubble tea in front of Brooklyn College, & only for the event, Cantonese dessert soups as well.
In 2010, Ms. Jiang started one of the first smoothie and juice vendors in Chinatown. She loves the health benefits she can provide customers, but has not been in business since the pandemic. Once traffic picks back up in the Brooklyn College area, Ms. Jiang hopes to return to selling.
Traditional Paper Cutting by Ling tang
As a family famous for their paper cutting craft, Ling Tang brings such an integral and traditional Chinese art to NYC.
Paper-cutting is a Chinese tradition, a popular art essential to everyday living. During festivals and celebrations, each household uses paper-cuttings to decorate their walls, windows and doors. Ling Tang is a New York City-based teaching artist who offers Chinese dance and cultural workshops. She is a 2021 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Folk/Traditional Arts.
Cambodia Now
Delicious Cambodian cuisine with dishes like Fish Amok & Chek Cheng
Cambodian Now brings home cooked meals to the streets of New York. We started our food journey back in 2019 at the Queens Night Market in New York City. As one of many food vendors there, they have captured much attention with our authentic and delicious Cambodian food. We can’t wait to share this exciting culinary journey with more people!
Yan Wo Dou Bun
Famous Hong Kong chain serving traditionally made soy milk, bean curd, and more!
Founded in 1936, Hong Kong Yan Wo Dou Bun specializes in soy milk and bean curd, using Ms Chan family’s recipes and traditional methods. The family owned and operated legacy business has a history of 86 years with many stores in Hong Kong and Canada. The New York branch, located in Mott Street Eatery, opened in 2022, specializing in healthy, traditional food like soy milk and bean curd.
Yan Wo Dou Bun will be serving tofu custard, freshly made soybean milk, tea eggs, zongzi (sticky rice with savory filling, cooked in bamboo leaf), and cifan (sticky rice with pork floss, pickled veggies, and fried bread).
Pinklady Cheese Tart
Introducing fluffy cheese tarts to NYC, Jean Lim offers 6 flavors that perfectly balance salty and sweet in an airy crust.
Jean Lim has always had a passion for baking and has dreamt of opening a business since she was 18. When she saw an opportunity to introduce cheese tarts to NYC, she immediately jumped on it.
“Our oozy cheese mousse is made with three types of rich cheese and cream with a perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness. As for our crusts, we use the double baked method in order to create crispy delicious tartlets. Try it when it's warm, cold or room temperature for a different texture and experience!”
Twisted Potato
Twisted Potato has become a staple of NY based food events, serving up their signature spiral spuds.
Established in 2016, Twisted Potato began selling their spiral spuds at Queens Night Market on Saturday evenings by Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Twisted Potato has since then participated in many NY based events such as Bronx Night Market, JapanFes, Famous Food Festival, and Atlantic Antic to name a few. Twisted Potato has built a fan following through their recognizable logo and bright yellow colors that can be seen a mile away. Twisted Potato has continued serving their fun and tasty snack to people and kids of all ages!
braided straw figurines by Meifang Shi
Ms. Shi has spent two decades honing her family’s craft of palm braiding, as each figurine is made in its own signature way.
Butterflies, frogs, grasshoppers, dragons, tigers… Ms, Shi can braid so many different figures. The cost of each animal depends on the amount of time spent on braiding them. She started out selling in NYC’s Chinatown, and now she sells near Times Square. Her hours vary but she mainly comes out on weekends, when the weather permits. Due to COVID, she has reduced her hours.
NHA TRANG ONE
Taste the difference of delicious home-style Vietnamese food at Nha Trang One
Since March 1992, Nha Trang One is an enduring legacy business owned and operated by couple Andy and Ana Ha. They immigrated to America and worked their way through various restaurant jobs and owned a restaurant back in Vietnam. This inspired them to eventually open their own restaurant. It is named after the place where Andy is from–Nha Trang, a city in central Vietnam. The recipes are mostly from Ana. They are most well known for their spring rolls, pho, BBQ shrimp on sugarcane, and BBQ pork chops. Open everyday (except Mon) from 11AM-8:30PM at 87 Baxter St.
Pho Master
Vietnamese food sold weekdays at the SW corner of 40th & 6th, Mr. Zhang will be serving banh mis and spring rolls.
Victor Zhang immigrated to America from Zhongshan, Guangdong, and then worked as a chef for over 30 years. In 2017, he and a Vietnamese friend partnered together to start making Vietnamese food. Though the friend is no longer part of the business, Victor continues to sell out of his truck, engaging with the community while being flexible in location.
Dough Figurines by Xun Ye
In this highly skilled folk craft, dough is prepared by the hand of Master Ye and shaped into animal-themed figurines.
Originally from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Xun Ye is an artist by trade and received awards in America, France, Japan, and Singapore. Glutinous rice flour, colorant, honey, and wax are mixed into masses of different colors to make life-like sculptures. The dough that is prepared by a master will not grow mold, fade in color, or crack over time. Even after decades, the sculpture will still look as fresh and lively as the day that it was made.
SOOFLEY NYC
Soofley NYC’s inspiration comes from the taste and texture of Souffle pancakes originating from Japan. With a passion for experimentation and commitment to delivering a light and airy pancake experience to the streets of diverse cultural festivals. Driven by their dedication to creativity and diverse menu of flavors, they invite everyone to join this new pancake experience.
Xi Ne Du - bo zai gao 钵仔糕
In early 2023, Mr Hou opened his Bo Zai Gao booth with recipes created by his wife Mrs Hou, who has been making traditional sweets since she was a kid in China. Bo Zai Gao 钵仔糕 is a traditional Cantonese steamed cake that is named after the small ceramic bowls that they are steamed in (钵仔). These iconically ball-shaped cakes are usually made out of rice, flour, and are eaten on skewers as a street snack. Mr and Mrs Hou pride themselves in making healthy traditional foods that are freshly served with no additives, color, or preservatives. Everything is hand made fresh, daily.
Go For Fusion - IndoChinese Cuisine
Food cart fusing Chinese & Indian cuisine, Go For Fusion can be found weekdays near Columbia University.
After immigrating to America from Tibet 8 years ago, Tenzin Youngdu worked in a Chinese/Indian restaurant near the World Trade Center for 6 years. After leaving, he decided to open Go For Fusion near Columbia University. Each dish from Go For Fusion is made to order, and comes with basmati white rice to sop up the spicy sauces.
KAM HING COFFEE SHOP
We are a small mom and pop shop that’s been selling these wonderful fluffy and delicious angel cakes for over 30 years now. We have over a range of 70 different flavors that we rotate daily. We have simple flavors such as green tea, Chocolate Chip, coconut etc. Then we have our exotic flavors like Guava, Durian and even Bacon sponge cakes! Cakes for all ages and all taste buds; just waiting to deliver a smile to your face!
kuih cafe
Kuih Cafe is the 1st Malaysian fusion dessert cafe in NYC. Traditional and authentic, we are bringing Southeast Asian communities together in the heart of Chinatown with handmade treats that are all natural and never with additives. We are happy to connect with people of our diaspora, and share our culture with everyone too!
The Little One
is a pastry shop serving Japanese teas and tiny, thoughtfully crafted sweets. Founders Olivia Leung and Eddie Zheng having culinary backgrounds, wanted to bring the simplicity of Japanese desserts to Chinatown–the neighborhood that they both grew up in. The menu consists of Japanese influenced desserts like kakigōri (Japanese Shaved Ice), Monaka Ice Cream Sandwiches and other desserts.
Round K by Sol
is a modern Korean cafe & bar on Canal Street. Most of our food and drinks are inspired by Korean culture. We cook our food with Korean ingredients such as kimchi, which we use to make our original kimchi butter and kimchi ranch.
GMD Goods
A Taiwanese concept store centered on flavors of a bygone era, guzaowei 古早味, innovative limited-edition Taiwanese snacks, and timeless home goods from emerging Taiwanese designers.
Yu & Me Books
Yu and Me books is the first female owned Asian-American bookstore in NYC located in historical Manhattan Chinatown. Our focus is on the strong, diverse voices of our community, with a highlight on immigrant stories. Our carefully curated books and upcoming offerings of beer, wine and coffee cultivate a safe community space to sip, read, and foster some amazing conversations!
FROM HERE TO SUNDAY
From Here To Sunday began in a fake bodega within a real museum by artist Diana Ho with the simple act of sharing baked goods. This gesture is at the root of the business, which values creating an inclusive community through artful gift-giving. Each product is lovingly made in limited quantities by talented artists – ranging from paintings, to zines, to jewelry, to baked goods, and beyond.
SANMIWAGO
A Taiwanese quick bites shop known for their beef noodle soups and pork & yellow chive dumplings
Starting off as a stall inside Mott St Eatery during the pandemic, Sanmiwago’s mission is to provide affordable yet delicious Taiwanese style food late into the night. They are known for their beef noodle soups, dumplings, marinated cucumbers, braised pig ear, braised beef shank, sago and herbal jelly drink, and sweet congees. Sanmiwago has two Chinatown locations: Mott St Eatery (98 Mott), open everyday from 7:30am-9:30pm & 90 Bowery, open everyday from 10:30am-7:30pm.
About Our Sponsor
Citizens is the sole corporate sponsor of the Chinatown Night Market 2023.
The 2023 Night Markets are a gift to the neighborhood from Citizens. Food is at its most authentic and finest in Chinatown and we are proud to support a market that gathers and spotlights the best in one evening. The financial support will enable Think!Chinatown to expand the market and to engage with more vendors by offsetting registration fees for those small businesses to participate. Citizens is new to New York and believes in building up small businesses to support the overall growth and thriving of neighborhoods. Through the Night Market and Citizens’ other financial support to Chinatown, we hope to see a burst of revival in the neighborhood.
Our Partners
di Domenico + Partners
Leroy Street Studio
Buro Happold
Fried Frank
Gehl
Thank you to our NYC city agency partners:
