Leyton Night Market: what you need to know

If you’re partial to a mooch down Tilbury Road in Leyton Midland at the weekend, you’ll be aware of the festivals that popped up throughout the summer months. One of the best was the Leyton Arts Festival, attended by over two thousand folk back in July.

But now something more ambitious is coming our way. Better still, the new Leyton Night Market is making full use of the space unofficially known as Tilbury Yard.

Tilbury Yard, you say? If you can’t picture it, it’s the new moniker for the car park-style site owned by self-drive rental agency 1st City Van Hire. Adjoining the alfresco drinking corridor by Chop Shop Tavern and Tun cafe, it’s where the stage and stalls have been at each of the year’s bigger events. Now it’s to be weaved more permanently into the fabric of the neighbourhood — and all just in time for the festive period.

“The concept is inspired by the most vibrant night markets around the world, combined with the East London nightlife energy we know so well,” says Chop Shop Tavern and Leyton Calling owner Danny Saunders, the brains behind the new venture, along with his fellow bar dons Pete Lidstone and Luke Condell.

Initially running over each weekend (Fri-Sat), Leyton Night Market will feature four rotating weekly food stalls, which might range from, say, pizza to pad thai and jerk chicken wraps, although this is yet to be announced and will change weekly to lure punters back.

There’ll also be a main stage for DJs, film screenings and live performers, “a massive bar,” says Danny, “with eight or nine beers on tap,” as well as bespoke libations created by Tilbury Road mixologists at Point Cocktails and Leyton Calling. To spice things up, there are also casino-style, gambling and drinking games, from Lucky Dice to Spicy Roulette to Beer Pong.

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For more meditative types, an “Artisan Lane” of 15 independent arts and crafts stalls is to be managed by Leyton Midland Collective, the hard-working charity-run organization who also produced the arts festival and late October Harvest community feast. You can expect all the usual local Waltham Forest makers selling crafts, vinyl, jewellery, art.

Meanwhile, Friday and Saturday nights will be a bit rowdier, with the focus on “streetfood, DJs, the games alley, cocktails and barbecue smoke,” says Danny, “not to mention the neon-drenched atmosphere.”

Sure, you’ll need to wrap up, but thankfully it’s fully covered and heated. And over the festive period, you can expect winter wonderland-style Xmas shenanigans and a slew of special happenings, too.

The @nightmarketleyton opens in Tilbury Yard, Tilbury Road E10 on Sat 6th until Christmas (final date Sun 28th), then close for January and return every weekend from Feb 1st. Fridays 7pm-10pm, Saturdays 3pm to 10pm.