Argyle Night Market’s final week celebrates cuisine, culture

This week marks the final Thursday of the Argyle Night Market’s 2025 run. Since July 31, every Thursday evening from 6-9 p.m. on Argyle Street, between Kenmore Avenue and Sheridan Road, has been a celebration of everything Asian. The neighborhood’s main commercial corridor is known for its strong Vietnamese and Southeast Asian presence. Restaurants, bakeries, groceries, and shops reflect the community’s cultural roots.

 What began as an experiment to bring new life to Uptown has become one of Chicago’s liveliest traditions: the Argyle Night Market. The sidewalks transform into a bustling Asian night market filled with sizzling food stalls, live music, and the hum of thousands of conversations. It’s a scene that feels transported from Southeast Asia, but this is Chicago’s own Argyle Night Market, an event that has become as much about community as it is about cuisine.

The annual festival has always culminated with a celebration of the life of community leader John Vietnam Nguyen. He was a gifted Vietnamese-American hip-hop artist and poet from Uptown whose music amplified his community’s struggles and dreams. His lasting legacy of creativity and activism was cut short at the age of 19, and The Argyle Night Market’s final Thursday is always dedicated to celebrating the legacy and impact JVN has had in the community.

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The market began in 2013 as a way to breathe energy into Uptown’s commercial corridor, a stretch often referred to as “Asia on Argyle.” What started small has since blossomed into Chicago’s only weekly street festival, drawing an estimated 5,000 people each week from neighborhoods across the city. The formula is simple but effective: Gather dozens of local food vendors, artisans, and performers, set them up on a pedestrian-friendly block, and let the city do what it does best: eat, mingle, and celebrate.

 Food is the biggest draw, and the options read like a passport to Southeast Asia. One minute you’re sampling Vietnamese banh mi, the next you’re sipping Thai iced tea or watching a line form for Lao sticky rice. Local restaurants join in the fun, setting up stands in front of their storefronts or sending their staff into the crowd.

 Food is just part of the story. Hand-made crafts add color to the market, while a rotating lineup of performers ensures no two Thursdays ever feel the same. One week you might catch a hip-hop band, the next a traditional drumming group, or a DJ spinning into the night.

This Thursday’s celebration will feature hip-hop artists Jake Gatsby, Jovan Landry, and Crash Prez Man. Local breakdancing crews The Brickheadz and Jezi Breakdance Crew never fail to wow crowds with gravity-defying flips and high-energy dance battles.

 Also taking the stage is Elephant Rebellion, a Chicago-based collective of artists and activists founded in 2012 to honor the legacy of hip-hop artist and community leader John Vietnam Nguyen. Through music, dance, poetry, and education, they continue his mission of empowering communities and inspiring positive change.

This Thursday marks more than the end of the season. It will be a celebration of how Argyle Night Market has turned a street into a meeting place where food, music, and community come alive side by side.