Night markets are taking over Gotham!

In two weeks, on August 3rd, the Hester Street Fair will string white lights in the trees and through the tents, dust off their liquor license, and turn the Fair into August Nights at the Hester Street Fair, a month-long Saturday night (only) market on the Lower East Side at the corners of Hester and Essex Streets. It will feature a DJ, all your favorite Hester food vendors, and booths, including a collection of vintage clothing and jewelry companies.

Hester already runs Hester Nights at the eventi hotel in midtown, where eleven vendors provide a wide array of food and the Brighton Bar serves drinks to tired New Yorkers every Thursday evening in the summer and fall.

Night Markets were brought to New York by Aaron Broudo who founded the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. The first one, held in the area created by Urban Space, called the DeKalb Market, was such a success, it didn't take long for imitation to become the sincerest form of flattery. Subsequent BKNB markets were held in Brooklyn warehouses.

Artificial "Night:" BK Night Bazaar in a Kent Street warehouse.

Founded with a Kickstarter fund raiser in 2011, it was conceived as "a

summer night market, held outside on the Brooklyn waterfront. The Bazaar was inspired by the night markets across Asia.

These are fun gathering places for locals and travelers to eat, drink, shop and check out performances all in an animated setting. The Brooklyn Night Bazaar will provide a uniquely Brooklyn version of this great tradition." The thing morphed into its own Brooklyn-ized version that Aaron masterminded, with live music, vendors, sports, food and things I probably never found out about cause I was always setting up the Wink and Flip table. It took New York by storm.

Now comes the news that just last week, the Union Square Farmer's Market celebrated an important milestone birthday with their own version of a night market.

In Queens, the Astoria Market went to the dark side, and turned its beer garden location into a night market. What's next? Stay tuned. This can't be the end. "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."

Susan/winkandflip