Karen Seiger
- Aug 25, 2014
- 3 min read

Brooklyn Night Bazaar: A Market Where We Can Have Fun and Stay Up Late

An Army Surplus Tent became the Beer Hall at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar

New York is the “City that Never Sleeps,” right? Well, for a while now, we have been able to say that at least one of our markets is a place where New York can hang out until the wee hours.

Entering the Brooklyn Night Bazaar

The Brooklyn Night Bazaar was the first – and still the only – ongoing evening market event in the city. And I am happy to report that it is a really great place to go with friends on a Friday or Saturday night.

The BK Bazaar is modeled after the grand Asian markets that are community centers for commerce, food, art and socializing. Night markets are a tradition in our city too. 100+ and even 200 years ago, the historic Catherine Market, Washington Market and others would stay open late into the night, awash with oysters, lagers, dancing and singing.

I hadn’t been to the Night Bazaar in far too long, and so I went with my friend Maya a few weeks ago. Maya is a fine art major in college. Her dad Ajay was, and still is, my class president in graduate school and my dear friend. We had a blast that night. There was so much to see, do and eat. The large warehouse space is a reasonable walk from the Bedford L subway station or the Nassau Street G train. The food vendors set up their shops along the wall around the venue. Down the center of the space are vendors selling mostly locally made products. There are picnic tables and a good sized stage for the live performers at the back.

Air Hockey at the BK Bazaar

The Bazaar is also a venue for art projects. When we were there, there was an interactive installation featuring an old VW beetle that you could climb into with a friend and watch kissing scenes from classic movies like Grease, as though you were at a drive-in. The scenes changed every time you honked the horn. It was such a great feeling to be inside that beetle too.

There are other rooms to explore, like the wildly painted pingpong room. The beer hall is a surplus military tent. Repurposed with chandeliers and local brews, it makes a cozy bar setting.

Of course, I have to go on about the food. Our awesome friends from Sunday Gravy, Ice & Vice and Sigmund’s Pretzels were there. Then there was the Kati Roll Company. Maya’s dad is from India, and he actually introduced me to my first kati roll, which is an Indian flatbread wrapped around vegetable and meat fillings. They’re popular at the Bazaar because they’re delicious and easy to snack on.

We wandered through the product vendors, including Wumee handmade jewelry and clutches. I sampled a variety of flavors from Beyond Vape e-cigarettes. (Gummy Bear: No. Dry Blend: Yes.) The vendors change periodically. You can see who will be there on the Bazaar’s website.

Then there’s the music. The lineup is really diverse – something for eveyone. It was death metal the night we were there, which isn’t generally my cup of tea. But the band had a huge, enthusiastic crowd. Check the schedule to see what bands are playing when.

I seriously love this market, not only because it happens at night, but because the managers do such a great job of making it a really fun, creative and ever changing place to go on a Friday or Saturday with friends. Hat’s off to the BK Bazaar!

Go to the Brooklyn Night Bazaar Fridays and Saturdays, 7PM – 1AM, 165 Banker Street in Brooklyn. Contact them for private events too!

~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City