Entry No. 30 — the Pittsburgh file — filed under: art
The Garfield Night Market
Held every first Friday evening, this community night market transforms Garfield's Pacific Avenue into a lively hub of local artists, food trucks, and musicians.
The story
While the galleries along Penn Avenue handle the official 'Unblurred' art crawl, Pacific Avenue—a narrow residential side street at 113 N Pacific—gets commandeered by the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation every First Friday evening for something much looser. It's an open-air block party disguised as a night market.
Instead of quiet white-wall galleries, you get a dense strip filled with food trucks, independent art stalls, local plant dealers slinging ridiculously discounted flora, and street-level performers. On any given night, you might find yourself eating street food while standing between a live DJ set and a marching band threading through the crowd.
Consider it Garfield's outdoor living room. It functions as the unpolished backyard to the neighborhood's art walk—a place where the boundary between vendor, musician, and neighbor disappears into the evening air.
What it's like
Slip off Penn Avenue onto Pacific Ave on a First Friday evening and you'll immediately walk into a wall of ambient sound and food truck smoke. The market crams its vendor tables, DJs, and food rigs onto one short stretch of street, so expect shoulder-to-shoulder crowds during peak hours. Grab street food as soon as you arrive before the longest lines build up, browse the stalls for local prints and plants, and use the space as your mid-crawl fueling station between gallery stops.
The move: Grab some street food and wander the stalls during Penn Avenue's First Friday 'Unblurred' gallery crawl to experience the local art scene after dark.
- 📍 Garfield
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 113 N Pacific Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Center for PostNatural History — Located just two blocks away on Penn Avenue, this strange storefront museum of human-altered organisms makes the perfect cerebral stop right before hitting the night market food trucks.
- Pittsburgh Glass Center — A short four-block stroll down Penn Avenue allows you to catch live glassblowing demonstrations before slipping down Pacific Avenue for music and street food.
- Row House Cinema — Head a mile over into neighboring Lawrenceville after the market wraps up to catch a late-night cult film or B-movie screening.
Good to know
When does the Garfield Night Market happen?
It takes place on First Friday evenings during the warmer months (typically running May through October) to coincide with the Penn Avenue Unblurred art crawl.
Where is the market located?
It sets up at 113 N Pacific Avenue, right off the main Penn Avenue corridor in Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood.
Is there an entry fee?
No, the night market is free and open to the public; you'll only pay for whatever food, art, or plants you buy.
Who puts on the event?
It's organized by the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation as a community event to highlight local artists, small businesses, and food vendors.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · visitpittsburgh.com · davesusedplants.biz
last checked: 2026-07-21