After seven years of operation and serving more than 150,000 Bronx residents, Bronx Night Market will permanently close down this month.
According to a press release, the decision to shut down the market indefinitely stems from safety concerns for its staff and vendors, along with difficulties getting necessary community support.
“The last event that we’ve done, we were overrun by… illegal nutcracker, illegal alcohol sales, and we weren’t able to get any barricades so we felt exposed,” said founder Marco Shalma, as reported by News 12 – The Bronx. “Me having to come yet again and clean up human feces from the plaza… that and losing money and being subjected to abuse from different locals and whatnot.”
Bronx Night Market has been bringing cultural cuisine to Fordham Plaza since 2017. The market has been an incredible source of exposure for small, local businesses throughout the years, with 70% of the vendors labeling themselves as micro-, small-, POC-, immigrant-, LGBTQIA+-, and female-owned businesses.
The final market will be on Saturday, October 28th beginning at 1pm. Referred to as the grand finale on their Instagram page, the event is not to be missed. “We’re determined to celebrate our spirit in style during our farewell events,” read their Instagram caption. “We aim to leave a lasting mark on the community that embraced us, celebrating the Bronx’s essence and resilience.”
As of now, the closure of the Bronx Night Market will not impact Shalma’s other market ventures such as the Uptown Night Market that just happened on October 12th and the Vegan Night Market.