Your guide to the 2012 Mt. Airy Night Market

More than 50 food and beverage vendors will soon be coming to Germantown Avenue. Night Market will be making a return to Mt. Airy and will feature twice as many eats as it did last year. The event is being put on by Mt. Airy USA (MAUSA) and takes place Thursday, August 16 from 6 to 10:30  p.m.

The food festival will be held along Germantown Avenue between Mt. Airy Avenue and Carpenter Lane, just north of the fire station. Residents can expect street closure to commence at 2 p.m. the day of the event.

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The food vendors

Night Market will feature tasty bites from 10 local restaurants who will be participating with food tent stations set up along the avenue. One newcomer will be JYOTI Indian Bistro. The takeout restaurant intends to open in the neighborhood this autumn. “Its a great sneak preview,” said Elizabeth Moselle, Director of Commercial Corridor Revitalization & the Business Association of Mt. Airy (BAM). Other neighborhood restaurants who be present are: Avenida (Latin American), GeeChee Girl Rice Cafe (soul food), Wine Thief, Earth Bread + Brewery, Trolley Car Diner, McMenamin’s Tavern, Little Jimmie’s Bakery Cafe, Food for All and Trio Delight (Korean).

Local food truck vendors like Pitruco Pizza, Zea May’s (Native American), The Mini Trini (Trinidadian), and Zsa’s Gourmet Ice Cream will join other regional trucks such as the popular Los Taquitos De Puebla (Mexican), L’il Pop Shop (gourmet popsicles) , Ka’ Chi (Korean), Kung Fu Hoagies (vegetarian) and Delicias (Venezuelan).

Official sponsors, Yards Brewery, Penns Woods Winery and Philadelphia Distilling will be on hand to vend alcoholic beverages.

VIP pass

Attendees can purchase a Friends of the Night Market pass for $35 which will guarantee seating in Lovett Park, which will have restricted access during the event. The pass can be purchased online or at the event. A Friends of the Night Market pass will give purchasers a VIP wrist band which will enable them to receive free drinks at any of the three alcoholic beverage sponsors. Proceeds from the sales will go to support Night Market, MAUSA and Food Trust.

Live music

This year, MAUSA has partnered with public radio station WXPN to bring three music acts to Night Market.

Soul singer Ryan Shaw will be the headliner. Also performing will be Ginger Coyle and Reckless Amateurs. The stage area will be at the intersection of Germantown and Sedgwick Avenues. “We thought it would be cool” to see people utilize the grassy area next to the Acme parking lot, Moselle remarked.

Craft booths

Artisan craft vendors will be a new component this year. Organized through Renaissance Craftables, more than 15 crafters will take part in the affair including Saffron Creations and Phil Chung.

The Parking

Also new this year will be designated parking areas. Moselle explained that a valet parking lane will be set up between Mt. Airy Avenue and Allens Lane where people can drop off their cars to be parked. 

There will also be two designated self-park lots at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, which can be accessed on Gowen Avenue and New Covenant (with a shuttle from New Covenant).

Food Trust brought Night Market to Mt. Airy for the first time last year under a grant from the William Penn Foundation. The festival was considered a huge success and attracted nearly 7,000 people. This year, MAUSA is expecting attendance to reach 10,000.