After monitoring the success of open-air night markets in neighboring countries, Myanmar’s Restaurant Association is planning to open the city’s first open-air night market by the end of 2014. Concerned that office staff, students and visitors to Yangon had nowhere to gather within a social environment in the evenings, the Myanmar Restaurant Association are planning  a night market comprising food stalls, book shops, handicraft vendors and fortune tellers.

It is expected that up to 150 businesses will participate in the market to be located close to Maha Bandoola Park in downtown Yangon. A program is in the pipeline to ensure shop owners sell their goods at fair prices and though the total nights per week it will remain open is not yet finalized, its operation on Saturday and Sunday is guaranteed.

The night market will be a welcome addition to the Yangon evening scene, providing a meeting place and chance for visitors to peruse local handicrafts and sample an assortment of Burmese cuisine in one place.