Is this what a doom loop looks like?
The Sunset crammed people in tighter than Outside Lands this weekend. Our oft-sleepy district by the ocean drew thousands to eat, play, dance and mingle. Honestly though, we mostly gawked at the sheer number of people trying to navigate three blocks on Irving Street.
“We are celebrating the best and most fun things about life. It’s about community joy,” Supervisor Joel Engardio told a huge crowd around 8 p.m. He later noted the turnout was beyond expectation. “We are not destined to the doom loop that we hear about on the news. We can overcome it.”
From 20th to 23rd avenues, we spotted a huge bouncy slide, food trucks, a jazz band, lots of stuff for sale, and Mayor London Breed giving a good Oprah impersonation when introducing Martin Yan, whose award-winning show Yan Can Cook has run on public television since 1982. “Let’s hear it for Chef Martin Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn!” Breed yelled.
My personal favorite moments included grabbing a piping hot donut from Uncle Benny’s Donut & Bagel, and spotting a sleepy dog in a blinged out cart that felt fully ready for Burning Man.
Engardio pitched the idea of a night market after visiting Taiwan with his husband, Lionel Hsu. About 80 vendors served a variety of foods while family-friendly areas let kids play with LED hoola hoops and toss bean bags. Now the event may become a permanent fixture thanks to its success.
I wouldn’t say the experience this weekend resembled many I had at markets when I lived in Asia; in some ways, the Sunset version was more organized. But it definitely needs to span more blocks in order to keep up with demand. Engardio was right though: the point was community joy, and we all felt it.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
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