As you may have heard, Night Market is coming to Fishtown tomorrow. You may have also heard that the forecast calls for awfully lousy weather. Night Market is happening rain or shine, so how will the potential precipitation affect summer’s last celebration? Will the event’s activities carry on as anticipated? Can we still expect an estimated 25,000 people to descend on Frankford Avenue between Girard and Palmer from 6 PM – 10PM?

With so many questions, we sought answers from The Food Trust, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all Philadelphians have access to affordable, nutritious food and the knowledge to make healthy decisions. They started Night Market in 2010 as a way to highlight various neighborhoods’ food, culture and arts scenes.

Have any past Night Markets had to deal with rain?

We have experienced rain at few Night Markets, mostly in the form of sudden passing thunderstorms. Because of this, we always have plenty of Night Market ponchos for sale for $1 at The Food Trust’s tent.

What can we expect from a rainy Night Market? Will live music and other regularly scheduled entertainment be available?

There are some surprising benefits to a rainy Night Market! Lines tend to be shorter in the rain, so it’s an opportunity to try food from more vendors. Plus, local businesses will often open their doors for attendees to take shelter when it’s really pouring. At last year’s Night Market Lancaster Ave., folks scattered into nearby restaurants and coffee shops during a sudden thunderstorm and we heard a lot of positive feedback — that folks learned about a new restaurant, or met new people while they were taking momentary shelter. A couple of our food truck vendors even invited some attendees into their vehicles to seek shelter and get a behind-the-scenes look at Night Market from their perspective. 

Our music lineup will continue as scheduled, depending on the severity of the rain. If things start to get really wet or if there’s a thunderstorm, we’d temporarily shut down our stages for safety reasons. But you’d be surprised how many of our acts are up for performing in the rain — again at last year’s Lancaster Ave. event, Killer Whale did an amazing set while it was starting to drizzle and Joie Kathos and her dance crew came out in the middle of the storm to get people moving. 

How will vendors be expected to handle the rain?

Generally vendors will operate as usual in the rain. Some tented vendors may need to hit pause if the rain is affecting their operations, but often can be back up and running quickly once a storm has passed. 

Have any vendors expressed concern for the rain?

So far, so good! Our vendors know that Night Market is a rain or shine event, and are prepared for the weather. We hope that folks will still decide to come out even if they have to bring an umbrella!

What can people who still want to come to Night Market do in preparation to make their experience better?

Definitely bring an umbrella (or grab a Night Market poncho), wear rain-appropriate shoes, layer up and get ready for a fun evening! There’ll be plenty of awnings and local businesses to take shelter if it’s pouring, but most likely if it rains, it’ll just pass through. And dancing in the rain at Night Market makes for a pretty memorable night. 

Don’t forget to about our Night Market Photo Contest! We’re offering two tickets to see Misterwives at the newly-opened Fillmore as the prize for the best photo taken at the Fishtown Night Market on Thursday October 1.

To submit an entry, email your best photo taken at the Fishtown Night Market to info@spiritnews.org by Friday, October 2. Please include your name, phone number and Instagram handle if you have one. We will decide the winner of the contest by posting the entries we receive on Instagram. Whichever one receives the most likes will be crowned “Best Night Market Photo.”

Misterwives play the Fillmore on Wednesday, November 4.