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Rebirth of Seattle institution after Amazon funds return of CID Night Market

CID Night Market
CID Night Market The CID Night Market. (Joe Mabel, Wikimedia )

SEATTLE — Months after organizers were forced to cancel Seattle’s popular Chinatown-International District Night Market, the event has been saved.

This comes after Amazon announced that it would be putting $250,000 toward the market to allow it to continue for the next three years.

The CID Night Market debuted in 2006, attracting thousands of people to the neighborhood each year since, all the way up until it was canceled in 2023.

At the time, the CID Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) pointed to rising production costs and dwindling sponsorships since the pandemic as the main driver behind having to end the event.

With Amazon citing the “positive impact the Night Market has for small businesses, the local culture, and on the Seattle community,” it now will return with a renewed outlook.

Ahead of the Lunar New Year, and with Amazon’s generous donation and support, we’re thrilled to celebrate and bring this beloved community tradition back to the neighborhood after announcing its pause last summer,” said CIDBIA Executive Director Monisha Singh said in a news release. “The market, while celebrating culture and community, also serves as an important fundraiser for the critical work we do year-round to support those that live and work in our neighborhood — including our more than 400 small businesses.”

Seattle Councilmember and CID business owner Tanya Woo lauded the event’s return as well, noting how it’s “been a fixture of the neighborhood for nearly 20 years and has helped so many small businesses grow.”

The new iteration of the Night Market will kick off in September of 2024.

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