Entry No. 12 — the Monterey file — filed under: night market
Night Market 831
Every first Friday, a mural-ringed gravel lot at the Sand City Art Park turns into a free open-air night bazaar with fire-truck rides, a pinball lounge, live music, and a rotating cast of food trucks and local makers — four years running as of its 2025 anniversary party, in a town most people just drive through on the way to somewhere else.
The story
Sand City is mostly a place you blow past on Highway 1 without realizing you crossed a town line—a tiny pocket of former sand dunes, light industry, and commercial lots tucked between Seaside and Monterey. If people stop at all, it's usually for a hardware store or a warehouse retailer. But pull off at Ortiz Avenue on the first Friday evening of the month, and you'll find a mural-ringed gravel lot that flips the town's industrial exterior inside out.
The Sand City Art Park at 525 Ortiz Ave hosts Night Market 831, an open-air night bazaar that launched in late 2021 and has quietly become the peninsula's favorite monthly neighborhood gathering. Instead of overpriced tourist souvenirs, you get a dense grid of regional makers, a rotating line of food trucks, live local sets, beer and wine vendors, a pop-up pinball lounge, and the occasional vintage fire-truck ride—all staged beneath massive street art murals framing the yard.
What it's like
Arrive around 5 PM while golden hour lights up the Art Park murals before dusk settles over Sand City. Park along Ortiz Avenue or the nearby industrial side streets and head onto the gravel. You'll catch live music sets echoing off the walls, smell the food trucks fired up near the entry, and find a mostly local crowd balancing paper plates and local brews. The marine layer hits Sand City early and cold once the sun drops, so dress in heavy layers, grab food from whichever truck catches your eye before the lines stretch out, and leave time to play a round of pinball in the open air.
The move: Wander the Sand City Art Park murals at golden hour, then stick around for Night Market 831's 5-9pm run — split a plate from whichever food truck has the longest line, catch the live set, and work the maker booths before it wraps for the night.
- 📍 Sand City
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 525 Ortiz Ave, Sand City, CA 93955
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Pearl Hour — Wrap up your evening of food trucks and art park stalls with a nightcap at this sleek Lighthouse Avenue cocktail bar named after Steinbeck’s 'pearl hour.'
- Trident Room — Follow up Sand City's outdoor bazaar with a drink inside a basement taproom hidden within the historic former Hotel Del Monte.
- Stokes Adobe Restaurant & Bar (formerly Restaurant 1833) — Trade the scrappy gravel-lot energy of the night market for a drink inside a restored 1830s adobe home with a haunted reputation.
Good to know
When does Night Market 831 happen?
It runs on the first Friday of every month, typically from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM (though hours can shift slightly depending on the season, so confirm before heading out).
Is there an entry fee?
No, admission to the art park and night market is completely free. You only pay for what you eat, drink, or buy from the maker booths.
Where should I park?
Street parking is available along Ortiz Avenue and the surrounding industrial blocks of Sand City. Pay attention to posted signs and avoid blocking commercial driveways.
What kind of food and drink is available?
The lineup rotates monthly but routinely features local food trucks, sweet treat vendors, and beer and wine setups.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · montereycountynow.com · arts4mc.org · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-20