A Guide to Night Markets in Metro Manila

Where: 25th Street, corner 7th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Operating Hours: Thursday to Saturday, 6:00 PM to 3:00 AM

The best thing to do after a tiring day’s work is to eat, definitely! And what you eat need not be just any food; they also need to be satisfying to the palate that will make you forget the stresses at work. Midnight Mercato, a thriving food night market in Bonifacio Global City caters to foodies who would like to discover unique and delectable cuisines at a reasonable price. Additionally, you can catch acoustic and live performances that will add delight to your Mercato experience.

Food selections may vary every week and that makes it an attractive crowd drawer in the middle of a busy city. Compared to other seasonal night food markets, Mercato at BGC operates weekly regardless of the season.

Mercato Centrale, a brainchild of five family partnerships, also welcomes food concessionaires who like to introduce their own unique food product to almost 10,000 passersby at the market. Before an applicant gets in, every food is scrupulously tested and tasted to make sure it is unique and that it will appeal to the market.

Where: Central Park, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City

Operating Hours: Saturday, 4:00 PM to 12:00 MN

Life is short to spend your weekends at home. Don’t know where to go on a Saturday night? Greenfield Weekend Market welcomes outdoor goers with lots of goodies available for grabs. On special occasions, the management creates a relevant event to highlight the celebration like Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Independence Day to mention a few.

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The market starts at 4:00 PM but there stalls ready for business as early as 3:00 PM. Weekend markets will never be fun without the food so there would be food at the Central Park, lots of it! You can also find bizarre items and adorable knick-knacks you can wrap as gifts for your friends or add to your collections. Health buffs can also find happiness in Greenfield Weekend Market as there are several vendors selling organic products and artisanal goods that claim to be healthy and environment-friendly.

Artworks by local artists can be seen in some parts of the Central Park. If you don’t have the money to buy them, you can at least stare at them for free! Consider yourself lucky if there’s an artist who does live art or who can make your portrait on the spot. At around 6:00 PM, musicians and other performers take the stage to entertain everyone.

Where: Laon Laan Street, Sampaloc, Manila

Operating Hours: 24 hours

Famously known as the bagsakan of flowers in Manila, Dangwa is the go-to place for shoppers who are looking for fresh picks during special seasons like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day , and All Soul’s Day.

Dangwa is a district in Sampaloc, Manila that houses many sellers and suppliers catering to many events that need flower supplies. Frequent goers find their suki (regular supplier) so they can purchase products in cheaper prices. Some stores are already offering online ordering and delivery services and they can be found on social media, too! But to ensure the quality and freshness of the flowers, we recommend you visit the market personally.

In case you’re in urgent need of flowers for when you want to surprise your mom, sister or girlfriend regardless of the season, you can turn to Dangwa because they operate 24 hours. Just make sure to take extra caution and be alert because night is not the safest time of day to visit any market in Manila.

Where: Taytay Public Market, Taytay, Rizal

Operating Hours: Varies per tiangge

Not far from Metro Manila is Taytay, Rizal, also known as the Garments Capital of the Philippines. Frequent shoppers describe Taytay Market as the less-stressful version of Divisoria. Taytay is a first class municipality in the Province of Rizal and is expected to be the next most important city of Rizal after Antipolo.

There are several tiangge in Taytay Market such us Freedom, Tent, Mayora, and Bagpi to name a few. If you’re from Manila, all of them are accessible once you get to Taytay Public Market. While most people flock the day market, it is best to visit their night market because more stocks are available and there would be less shoppers expected and that means less competition in scoring some good finds.

If you’re an avid online shopper, you can see almost the same items there in cheaper prices. There are also stalls that sell fashion overruns in free sizes. Most boutique and online sellers get their items here in bulk. Remember to ask the wholesale and retail price for each item and use your haggling prowess because there’s 90% chance you’ll get a good deal.

So if you’re planning to put up a small business, you need to visit there and talk to a direct supplier.

• Bring cash. Since these are flea markets, expect that nobody will accept any form of card payments.

• Dress comfortably. Markets are not the appropriate place to dress up and flaunt your OOTD.

• Always, always try to haggle down prices. There’s 90% that you can get a positive response.

• Always keep your things near you. If you can, bring only a small pouch or body bag that can accommodate your wallet, phone, and other small necessities. Large personal bags will be a hassle on your shopping spree.

• Bring an eco-bag wherever you go so you can easily carry all your items plus you can help save the environment through less plastic consumption.