April 29, 2024

FDR Park's Southeast Asian Market to open for the season May 4

After delaying the start, the longstanding tradition will continue Saturdays and Sundays from next month to the end of October.

By Franki Rudnesky
PhillyVoice Staff

ALBERT YEE/FAIRMOUNT PARK CONSERVANCY

The Southeast Asian Market is back in FDR Park every Saturday and Sunday from May 4 through Oct. 27.

After its season opening was pushed back more than a month, FDR Park's Southeast Asian Market will start welcoming customers starting Saturday, May 4.

The market will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. though Oct. 27. Visitors can browse traditional dishes, street food, produce, plants, clothing and jewelry from more than 70 vendors.

MORE: Center City Sips is ready to start 20th year of discounted drinks, appetizers on Wednesdays in Philly

SEA Market was initially scheduled to open March 30, but was pushed back to "accommodate operational needs that came up," Charlotte Merrick, communications director for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, said in March. Organizers of the market said the delay was related to requirements that needed to be fulfilled by the Vendors Association of FDR Park.

The market dates back to the 1980s, when Lao and Cambodian refugees escaping conflict and genocide settled in South Philadelphia, making FDR Park their green space sanctuary. By the early '90s, a handful of immigrant merchants — which also included Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian vendors — popped up in the park, making it a destination for local Southeast Asian residents to shop and eat specialty foods not found in restaurants.

Although vendors once faced pushback from police, park officials and neighbors, the establishment of the Vendors Association of FDR Park in 2021 allowed for the market to exist in harmony with park visitors. FDR Park is in the midst of a $250 million plan to modernize amenities, with the SEA Market slated to have a permanent location in the vicinity of the skatepark in the southwest corner of the park.

For the 2024 season, the market will operate by FDR Park's Broad Street entrance through June. Then, from July to October, it will be open across from the Taney baseball field and Lake Meadow. In an Instagram post, organizers said the market's website will soon be updated with this year's vendors, products and locations.

In February, Food & Wine magazine recognized SEA Market as one of the best of its kind in the country.

"It is a sanctuary of shared experiences and a testament to the resilience of the many immigrants and survivors of war that kept and continue to keep the market alive today," the story in Food & Wine said.

SEA Market will be closed on Sunday, May 5, due to the Broad Street Run, and will open late at noon on Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 19, due to 5K runs. When visiting the market, patrons are encouraged to bring cash, as there are no ATMs onsite, although some vendors do have mobile payment options available.