Honolulu Night Market Expands to Chinatown With Weekly Friday Pop-Ups Starting May

The popular Honolulu Night Market is expanding beyond its Kakaako home base with a new weekly Friday night pop-up in Chinatown, organizers announced this week.

Starting May 2, the Chinatown Night Market will take over Smith Street between Hotel and Pauahi from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. every Friday, featuring 40 food vendors, live entertainment, and an artisan marketplace. The expansion is a collaboration between Street Grindz, the Chinatown Business Association, and the city’s Office of Economic Revitalization.

“Chinatown has incredible bones — the architecture, the history, the energy,” said Street Grindz founder Aron Adler. “A night market is exactly the kind of activation that can bring people back to this neighborhood in a way that supports existing businesses rather than displacing them.”

The event will anchor around Chinatown’s existing restaurants and bars, with participating brick-and-mortar businesses offering special night market menus and extended hours. Pop-up vendors will feature a curated mix of local food trucks, craft cocktail bars, and emerging food entrepreneurs.

The expansion comes as Chinatown has shown signs of revitalization after years of challenges with vacant storefronts and safety concerns. New businesses including a craft sake brewery, a specialty bookshop, and two art galleries have opened in the past six months.

Free validated parking will be available at the Smith-Beretania garage, and HPD will provide dedicated foot patrol officers during market hours. Organizers expect 3,000 to 5,000 visitors per week once the market is established.