A Vibrant New Night Market Will Fill FiDi Streets With Food, Drinks, and Dancing Tonight

Although it’s unclear when, exactly, spring started, the Friday weather seems to be cooperating for the first night of the Bhangra and Beats Night Market set for today, Friday, May 12 in downtown San Francisco. The new event will have a mix of food and drink vendors, including San Francisco’s New Delhi restaurant, Bissap Baobab, SF Chickenbox, and Al Pastor Papi, with bar 620 Jones serving cocktails and non-alcoholic options for the crowds. Along with food and drink, there will also be a number of vendors selling clothing, jewelry, art, and more. There’s also a music stage featuring Bhangra music, DJ sets, and an MC performance from Lyrics Born with special guests.

The event will take over four streets in the Financial District near the intersection of Clay and Battery streets. The event is for all ages, free to attend, and runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Tonight’s event is one of three scheduled night markets happening this summer, including on July 14 and September 8.

U.S. Supreme Court upholds state law on pig confinement

Pork producers have been hard at work fighting a voter-approved 2018 California law governing the treatment of pigs, but the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 12 in a 5-4 ruling handed down Thursday, May 11, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The law requires producers to house breeding pigs in cages wide enough for the pigs to turn around, as well as prohibits sales of meat from producers that violate those provisions in California). Organizations such as the National Pork Producers Council sued the state, claiming the law “would unconstitutionally burden interstate commerce while driving up prices nationwide,” the Chronicle states. The Supreme Court didn’t seem to agree, and now the law — which was not put into effect while the lawsuits were settled — is on its way to being enacted, although it’s not clear when that will happen.

Bini’s Kitchen reopens its FiDi location

The 1 Post Street location of Bini’s Kitchen has been closed since the pandemic, but now chef Bini Pradhan is ready to reopen in the space where she first launched her business. The Post Street spot debuts once again on Monday, May 15, and will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pradhan is also adding a new chicken-stuffed momo to the menu. “Bini is obviously aware of the limited foot traffic downtown these days,” a press release states, “but is taking a chance on her flagship location and her devoted customers.”

Taiwanese American Cultural Festival set for Saturday, May 13

If you’re looking for a taste of Taiwan or you’ve been wanting to sample the cuisine of this country but don’t know where to go, the Taiwanese American Cultural Festival is happening on Saturday, May 13, in Union Square, KQED reports. Expect vendors and food such as Cupertino’s Liang’s Village and Hsin Tung Yang’s Taiwanese meat jerky. There will also be entertainment and activities. Admission is free and the event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.