SF Sunset District poised for new night market in September after previous event's cancellation

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Sunset Night Market was probably the most popular of its kind in San Francisco. It stretched for 10 blocks and drew huge crowds.

Then, it got canceled.

Now, the community has come together to bring it back and help Build a Better Bay Area.

San Francisco's Sunset District is poised for a new night market.

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"We saw a gap that needs to be filled, and we thought, 'What could this event look like if it was ran by merchants on the corridor?'" said Rob Aiavao, board member of Dear Community.

Community organizers rallied in wake of the cancellation of the popular Sunset Night Market, announcing the launch of what's being called "Sunset After Dark."

"We were disappointed to hear the news, so we took that as an opportunity to say 'Hey, why don't we come up with a community-driven event?'" said Daniel Ramirez, owner of Smokin D's on Irving Street. "I can't speak for every business, but for our business, it drives a lot of, you know, traffic to an area that needs, you know, a little bit of attention."

Sunset After Dark will take place on Sept. 26, shutting down three blocks on Irving Street in the heart of the business corridor.

"There's definitely gonna be food vendors," said Aiavao. "There's going to be vendors selling, you know, wares, trinkets, as well as activities for kids that are going to be put on by some of the local schools."

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"So, we're not having the gigantic extravaganza of the Sunset Night Market that was seven blocks long and 20,000 people," said Supervisor Joel Engardio.

Engardio said the previous night market was cancelled because of delays in payment from the city to the market's producers.

"I'm really excited that people are coming together to create something a little smaller scale, but perhaps more sustainable and something that we can do more often," Engardio said.

"We wanted to keep this very community and neighborhood-focused. And so, we wanted to start with something small," Aiavao said. "And, hopefully, this is a sustainable, sustained effort that we're able to host events again in the future -- maybe even larger ones."