After a three-year hiatus, the Jade International Night Market will return on Saturday, August 19th. The free event will take place within the Portland Community College (PCC) Southeast campus at 2305 SE 82nd Avenue from 1 to 9 p.m. Unlike other years, planners concentrated a two-evening event into a single day, creating an opportunity for more family-focused programming and accommodating a diversity of schedules.

The Jade International Night Market began in 2014, spanning four consecutive Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Fubonn Shopping Center parking lot. “From what I’ve been told was a huge success. So many people came out that they had to find another partner for space,” explained Jade District Community Development Manager Alisa Kajikawa. At the time, event coordinators estimated nearly 20,000 people attended the four-weekend markets. Jade District‘s Night Market moved to the PCC SE Campus the following year and consolidated the event dates to just two Saturday evenings in August from 5 to 10 p.m. The annual event kept the same cadence and location through 2019. After that, the pandemic halted gatherings, and the program lost its inertia.

The Jade International Night Market will return on a single date in 2023 for its seventh year. “Capacity-wise, we decided one day would be better for PCC and our planning, but also wanting to make it longer so that it could be a full-day event,” said Kajikawa. The format change has not dissuaded participation. Over 100 food vendors, retailers, and organizations have signed up for booths. Groups from all over Portland will participate, renting booths at this outdoor event. Kajikawa explained that the Night Market is a district promotion, so they provided subsidies for Jade District businesses to encourage local participation.

Onsite parking is free but limited. Walking, biking, and public transit are recommended for people visiting the Jade International Night Market. The number 72 bus and the FX 2 lines converge on this location. Outside of securing parking in the PCC parking lot, early attendance will improve an attendee’s chance of picking up several free items. To bolster the family attractions, guests can receive free face painting and balloon art from 1 to 5 p.m. During that same time, Portland Nursery will make supplies available to paint a small pot hosting one of 500 free plants. The Jade District will hand out 5000 paper fans from the information booth to keep people cool in the daytime heat. Kajikawa cautioned that all free activities and items are limited to supplies on hand and will probably run out before 5 p.m. 

Event organizers intend to make this year’s Market appealing to a broader range of attendees. The Night Market will be an alcohol and tobacco free event focused on food, crafts, information, and entertainment. The extended hours should allow more people to cycle through the booths without the crowding of previous Markets. Interested people should check the list of confirmed vendors below to plan their visit, noting that they can now eat both lunch and dinner thanks to the extended event.

Images used in this article were provided courtesy of the Jade District

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2023 Jade International Night Market Vendors