My daughter and I were recently watching the Tokyo episode of Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveler, and we couldn’t get over how pretty the lanterns looked along the busy streets. It made me want to be out in a city at night, somewhere with good food and plenty of people.

Now in its 19th edition, Seattle’s Chinatown-International District Night Market returns Saturday, September 26, from 1-9 p.m. One of the largest night markets in the region, it spans three city blocks. The free, all-ages festival will bring more than 100 vendors to Hing Hay Park and the surrounding streets, with food trucks, arts and crafts, lion dancing, taiko drumming, and martial arts demonstrations. New this year is a food walk offering $6 and $8 specials at participating businesses throughout the CID. You can pick up a menu at the information booth.

The timing ties into the Mid-Autumn Festival, a harvest celebration that originated in China and is celebrated across parts of Asia. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar—September 25 this year, the day before the Night Market. Families and friends gather to share mooncakes and admire the moon, with lanterns also part of the celebrations.

Don’t miss a night market—especially this one. Pretty lights, incredible food, and three blocks of vendors to explore.

Courtesy of CID Night Market

The market in Seattle began in 2006 but was canceled in 2023 because of rising costs and declining sponsorship. It returned in 2024 after Amazon committed $250,000 to support the event through 2026.

“This year’s Night Market will light up the neighborhood with lanterns, local vendors, cultural performances, and a strong sense of community,” says Tuyen Than, executive director of the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area.

The market takes place at Hing Hay Park and on South King Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues South, and Sixth and Maynard avenues South between South Jackson and South Weller streets.