If you ask the folks trying to recall District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, the merchants and the community don't want the popular Sunset Night Market to return this summer — but also, if you're a fan, it's Engardio's fault that it's not coming back.

The popular Sunset Night Market on Irving Street, which was launched in part by Supervisor Joel Engardio in September 2023, returned for two consecutive months last summer, on August 30 and September 27. It doubled in size from its beginning, stretching from 19th Avenue to 26th Avenue, featuring a durian-eating contest, many food trucks and vendors, and even a cooking demo by local celebrity chef Martin Yan. And if you ask Hole in the Wall Pizza owner Awadalla Awadalla, the event put Irving Street "on the map" and was a huge success. The business owner tells the SF Standard that he feels "betrayed" by the news this week that the night markets won't be returning this summer.

Unfortunately, the cancellation of any night markets in the neighborhood in the coming months comes just after USA Today published a national list of the country's best night markets, putting the Sunset Night Market at Number 5 — SF's Chinatown Night Market came it at Number 1.

The reasons for the cancellation aren't entirely clear, and one organizer of the market, Lily Wong, the director of the Sunset Chinese Cultural District, tells the Standard that organizers felt "financial strain" after putting on the two very large events last summer, with the city's bureaucracy holding up reimbursement payments — to the tune of $120,000 — until this past May. Wong also suggests that the event had grown too large and unwieldy.

Mission Local reported last month that the Sunset Night Market's fate was uncertain, and that some business owners and community members, while enjoying the energy and foot traffic, wanted the market to get scaled back. Nonetheless, the city has allocated $100,000 for its expenses, and it will likely come back at some point.

Another organizer, Angie Petitt, director of Sunset Mercantile, said last month that planning for another market was "on pause." She told Mission Local, "We got forced into being too big of an event. And we are evaluating how we can make it work for our community."

But the Standard suggests that some of the pushback is coming from political foes of Supervisor Joel Engardio, who is facing a recall election on September 16. The recall centers on pretty much one issue alone, which was Engardio's support for the closing of the Great Highway to car traffic — though as the video below, posted Tuesday, suggests, Engardio is having to combat campaign messages that say he wants to turn Ocean Beach into Miami beach, and misinformation is going around about height limits and upzoning of buildings.

Despite the anti-recall campaign having a lot more money behind it, most observers have suggested that this unusual recall, in which only District 4 voters will be voting and only the most motivated voters — who are likely pro-recall — will cast ballots, will be a serious battle for Engardio to survive.

The recall campaigners are latching on to the cancellation of this summer's night markets, with campaign leader Jamie Hughes telling the Standard, "This is just another failure by Supervisor Engardio."

But others suggest that if a night market were to happen in August, it could be seen as a "win" for Engardio before the recall vote takes place.

One business owner, Great Wall Hardware owner Albert Chow, who supports the recall, tells the Standard that his fellow merchants "just didn't feel it this year," and blames Engardio's leadership. Chow also thinks that Engardio shouldn't be trying to "take credit" for the night markets — although the first one did seem to be spearheaded by his office alongside community groups.

Engardio offered a comment saying, "Politics should not be part of the night market," and "At the end of the day, most people say they love the night market."

But, per Mission Local, his legislative aide, Sophie Shao, said at a community meeting earlier this year that merchants who liked the event still had asked, "Can we not have so much inconvenience coming with it?"

Organizers of the Sunset Night Market have suggested bringing back a smaller version of the market around Lunar New Year next year, so that may be the next time Irving Street sees one of these markets.

A second night market, in the Outer Sunset, the Taraval Night Market, which occurred primarily along the Great Highway — now transformed in Sunset Dunes Park — took place last September, and it's unclear if that event will return.

Top image: Photo via Supervisor Joel Engardio