Chinatown Friday Night Market
A Friday night food market on Dixon Street, pedestrianised in 1980 in a Chinatown with roots stretching back to the 1870s gold rush era.
About this market
Chinatown Friday Night Market lights up Dixon Street every Friday evening in one of Sydney's oldest continuously Chinese neighbourhoods. Chinese market gardeners and traders began settling in Haymarket from the 1870s during the gold rush era, and by the 1920s, Chinese entrepreneurs were establishing cook shops and lodging houses here after a major wholesale fruit and vegetable market relocated to nearby Hay Street.
A pedestrian street built for exactly this
Dixon Street itself was pedestrianised in 1980, dressed in the ceremonial archways that still frame it today, a joint effort between the City of Sydney Council and the Dixon Street Chinese Committee to restore the area's prosperity. That purpose-built pedestrian layout is exactly what makes the Friday Night Market work: over 50 stalls run by students, emerging designers and local artists of Asian heritage now fill the street with dumplings, skewers, rolled ice cream and handmade crafts every week.
Market at a glance
Reviewers consistently rave about the sheer density of food on offer in a compact space, dim sum, dumplings, meat skewers, seafood and black sesame desserts all within a short stroll, alongside the neon signage that makes Dixon Street a genuine photography stop after dark.
Dixon Street's ceremonial archways weren't always there. They were added in 1980 when the street was deliberately pedestrianised, a joint council and community project to revive an area that traces its Chinese heritage back to the 1870s gold rush.
Good to know before you go
It runs late into the evening until 11pm, making it one of the few Sydney markets genuinely suited to a dinner-time visit rather than a morning shop. Arriving hungry and ready to share several small dishes across different stalls is the best way to make the most of the food variety on offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What time does the market run?
- Every Friday, 4pm to 11pm, along Dixon Street in Haymarket.
- How old is Sydney's Chinatown?
- Chinese market gardeners and traders began settling in Haymarket from the 1870s during the gold rush era, with the Dixon Street area emerging as a distinct Chinatown by the 1930s. Dixon Street itself was pedestrianised in 1980 and given its now-iconic archways.
- What kind of stalls are there?
- Over 50 stalls run by students, emerging designers and local artists of Asian heritage, covering Asian street food like dumplings and skewers alongside clothing and homewares.