A new addition has started to fill up the typical community event calendar over the past decade. Joining the ranks of holiday festivals, car cruises and fairs, the night market has become a staple of large and small communities all over the United States — and Western Pennsylvania is no exception.
Adapted from the long-standing tradition of the night market in South and Southeast Asia, the concept is simple: bring together delicious food, unique vendors and live music, all after hours. Especially in the warmer months, the night market provides outdoor bazaar-style browsing to communities large and small — and people are happy to attend in droves.
USA Today published its list of the 10 best night markets in the United States in April, featuring events from states ranging from California to New York to Oklahoma to Virginia.
Some are held weekly, some annually; some center the tradition’s Asian roots and some are more Americanized. But they all bring together vendors, entertainers and nocturnal fun-seekers for community celebrations.
Localized night markets have popped up all over Southwestern Pennsylvania in the past decade. Some quickly grabbed a foothold and have continually expanded, some are just starting out. But all of them have the goal of bringing together local businesses and interested shoppers in a casual atmosphere.
One of the region’s biggest events of this kind is the Squirrel Hill Night Market, which celebrated 10 years of operation last year. This year, the market — which is a co-production of Uncover Squirrel Hill and the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition — will host events on three Saturdays: June 27, Aug. 22 and Sept. 26.
“The Night Market started really out of a desire from neighborhood leaders and merchants and residents all coming together to say, ‘hey, we would want something unique,’” said Jamison Juda-Combs, government and community relations director for Uncover Squirrel Hill. “Something that can draw in residents and guests — a diverse population — into the neighborhood.”
And it sure did. Juda-Combs said that after a decade, the night market attracts about 15,000 people per event.
“I would say from 7 to 9 (p.m.) is kind of crazy,” he said.
The Squirrel Hill Night Market plans to have about 100 vendors at each event this year, from food trucks and restaurant storefronts to crafters and even the Pittsburgh Chess Club. “They have a location here in Squirrel Hill. They set up and they’re very popular,” Juda-Combs said.
The Greensburg Night Market has seen a similar takeoff over its eight seasons of operation. Jessica Hickey, owner of the Greensburg Night Market, said that during their busiest months, they see 5,000 to 7,000 attendees.
“We started with half a block and 28 vendors back in 2019. This year, we’re at four blocks, a couple of parking lots and about 150 to 160 vendors per month.”
The Greensburg Night Market is held in Downtown Greensburg from 5:30 to 9 p.m. monthly. Upcoming dates in 2026 include June 25, July 30, Aug. 27 and Sept. 24.
They also started up in the search for a fresh take on a community event.
“We started because we wanted to do an event downtown to bring something different to the community,” Hickey said. “We do it outdoors April through December and then we do three smaller ones at Live! Casino January through March.”
The vibrant market does prioritize food and beverage, much like the Asian night markets that passed this tradition down.
“People are coming to eat and drink, so we want to make sure we have plenty of that,” Hickey said.
They also have a mini-farmer’s market, as well as craft and artisan vendors. And don’t forget music!
“We have five bands per market, April through October. They’re all local artists who we pay to be there and they pay on each block,” Hickey said.
Music is also an important part of the Allentown Night Market in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood. Beyond being a place to stroll in the evening, the Allentown Night Market takes its dark theme a little further; it’s generally a place to find things that are spooky, a little goth, and kind of odd.
Kelly Braden founded the Allentown Night Market in 2018, originally as a celebration of the one-year anniversary of her curiosities shop, The Weeping Glass. The concept quickly caught on and expanded.
“It was maybe 20 vendors, but a lot of people came for it,” Braden said. “Hilltop Alliance was like, ‘This really worked out. This is one of the most successful events we’ve had up here.’”
So it became a tradition to have two Allentown Night Markets per year, one in the spring and one in the fall. This year, they will be held on June 13 and Oct. 10. Braden emphasizes the “night” part of “night market.” “Have you seen Allentown? We are so goth. We don’t go out in the sun.”
She also said that having outdoor markets in the cooler hours makes more sense during the hottest months of the year.
“I’m not having a party during the day in June when it’s 90 (degrees),” she said.
They focus on art and crafts that are a little on the unusual side, as well as food trucks and other food vendors. As for music, they keep it on theme with goth-inspired music, both live and DJ-ed.
In New Kensington, Fridays on Fifth is a vibrant food truck event presented by the New Kensington Recreation Committee to support the downtown area. It includes food trucks, live performances and all of the favorite shops open late to give the crowds somewhere to browse.
Each event is held on the fourth Friday of the month from April to October, keeping things bustling during the warmer weather months. The next event will be held on June 26 and will run from 5 to 9 p.m., helping attendees kick their weekends off the right way.
Newer on the scene is the North Huntingdon Night Market, which just started up last year and is open on the first Thursday evening of the month throughout spring and summer.
“Last year we did a spring market and a fall market, and this year we are looking to extend it because whenever you have them consecutively, you usually have more people,” said Lydia Kinkaid, Parks and Recreation coordinator for North Huntingdon.
She said that they followed suit after seeing booming crowds at other regional night markets, turning the very traditional event setup into its own local trend.
They keep it local with a wide variety of vendors, and they try to make sure each offers something unique so the local businesses aren’t competing with each other.
“Our next market, the June one, we have multiple bakers, but one is selling foccacia bread and biscotti, versus the other one who is selling sourdough.”
Kinkaid’s spirit about the night market recalls its original purpose: to bring the community together and get everyone to try something new.
“There are a lot of different night markets popping up in the area and we just wanted to try it out,” she said.