When Daniel Ramirez saw that the popular Sunset Night Market was canceled this year amid bitter west-side politics, he jumped into action.
The owner of Smokin’ D’s BBQ in the Sunset said he wanted to continue the neighborhood’s tradition of celebrating diversity and food, without letting divisive political issues take over.
“We want to bring back the energy of the night market in a way that’s joyful,” he said.
But throwing a big celebration in the Sunset isn’t easy right now. The neighborhood will vote Sept. 16 in the contentious campaign over whether to recall Supervisor Joel Engardio, who championed Proposition K, which closed the Great Highway to cars.
The night market is one of Engardio’s signature accomplishments. But organizers rushing to save it are trying to distance the event from him, his opponents, and the recall campaign altogether, worried that politics could once again derail the celebration.
“To keep this politically free, not to bring any negative attention, I’m going to keep repeating the same talking points,” Ramirez said. “You want to keep this community- and merchant-focused.”
After weeks of planning, Ramirez and partner groups are moving ahead with a new event, Sunset After Dark, an Irving Street fair set for Sept. 27 — 10 days after the recall election. They’ve secured city permits to close three blocks, starting at 3 p.m.
The fair will feature food vendors, performances from local schoolchildren, and a rib-eating contest — a twist on the stinky tofu contest Engardio once proposed.
Engardio, who has blamed recall politics for sabotaging the beloved night market, seems happy to cheer for the new event.
“I’m fully supportive and I’m thrilled the community is coming together to organize a wonderful evening in the Sunset,” he said in a statement.
Ramirez said his group knows the supervisor is available to help but has managed fine on its own, applying for the street closure and Department of Public Health cooking permit.
“We’ll let the politicians deal with the politics,” he said.
The recall campaign declined to comment on the new event.
Sunset After Dark is entirely privately funded, allowing it to move forward more quickly than city-funded events like the Sunset Night Market, which face lengthy bureaucratic holdups.
The nonprofit Dear Community, which focuses on Asian American civic engagement, is helping lead the effort. Its spokesperson, Rob Aiavao — a former TogetherSF political operative — described the event as a chance to heal after months of division.
“You can almost view this as a palate cleanser for the district once the election is done,” he said.
Aiavao said organizers are prioritizing local Sunset businesses and trying to avoid duplication, such as too many boba or dumpling vendors competing with Irving Street shops.
The Civic Joy Fund, led by rumored future supervisor candidate Manny Yekutiel, has donated $40,000 to support the event — one of 13 night markets the fund has backed citywide.
“We are joy spreaders,” Yekutiel said. “We are happy and excited to fund it.” Michael Moritz, chairman of The Standard, is a donor to the fund, which Mayor Daniel Lurie cofounded.
Would Engardio be invited to speak at the event in his district?
“I don’t believe we plan on having any elected officials speak at this event,” Aiavao said. “The reason for that is to keep the focus on what the community wants.”