Kade Gajdusek, Contributing Photographer

On Friday, the New Haven Night Market returned to downtown for the 10th time, reuniting vendors and artists with joyous bazaar-goers.  

From 5 to 10 p.m., Chapel Street hosted over 60 vendors and artists and buzzed with the murmur of thousands of attendees. Hosted by the Town Green District, the festival offered residents and students a chance to mingle and engage with New Haven’s local businesses and artists. The festival has been hosted biannually since 2018, except in 2020.

“When I come to [the fair], people come over here, they ask for my name, they get my card […] they ask me questions […and] we make some money,” artist and market seller Miguel Ángel Mendoza said, adding that beyond the fair, exposure is difficult. “In this event, people are kind, respectful. We are like brothers and sisters.”
Mendoza sold vibrant Oaxacan-style prints and drawings in XQUENADU, his brand of traditional Mexican art and oil-on-canvas portraiture.

For Mendoza, the bazaar is not only an opportunity to make money but also a chance to connect with people through his work and culture. He described Chapel Street as the home of a family beyond traditional borders — where people are eager to engage with him and his work up close rather than passing judgment from a distance. 

Clothing designer Tim Goselin, representing Diablerie shop, showcased an assortment of witty designs over predominantly black garments. The brand’s style is “based around a dark and gallows humor — some of it is political and social, some of it is an homage to our love of horror movies,” he said. 

For artists who sell predominantly through websites or social media apps, the buyer remains an elusive image rather than a concrete person. The festival provides that necessary face-to-face interaction, Mendoza and Goselin both said.

At 8 p.m., Fiesta Del Norte, a local New Haven mariachi band, started playing classic hits such as Cielito Lindo and Como Mi Ritmo No Hay Dos — adapted into “tequila” by The Champs. The audience cheered, danced and sang along. 

“Music anywhere is good. To see it live — there’s nothing like it,” David Jardina, guitarist and frontman of the band, said. “It’s fun to play music. It puts smiles on people’s faces.” 

But the communal and interpersonal warmth wasn’t just for artists. It was fun for anyone to witness and participate in the vibrant exchange of art, music and laughter. 

Tryx Grant ’27 stepped out of Branford to walk toward the enthralling sound of Latin music and saw a lot of joy — it was a chance to see “so many different kinds of people” together. 

Grant added, however, that the crowd of the market can be overwhelming and described having to take it in small doses. 

For some vendors, selling their work in person was not an entirely positive experience. The market’s social environment can be stressful.

Ren Phu, an oil painter, said they attempt to represent “the metaphysical, indescribable self on canvas” and paint about being non-binary. 

“A lot about my thoughts [pertain] to identity and the constant battle that I’m in with how I present. When I go out to meet strangers, they have gendered ideas,” Phu said. “To represent myself over and over again is so exhausting.” 

For others, the high prices are a barrier to entry, market organizer Gianna Strode said, adding that the market and the stalls weren’t welcoming to low-income people. The price range and lack of affordability mean that “there still is that rift” between Yale students and New Haven residents. 

Strode added that, nonetheless, the event promotes small businesses in the city while connecting different communities.

The next New Haven Night Market will be held in spring 2025.