By Klyde Java

On Feb. 9, Sunset District residents and visitors welcomed Lunar New Year with a day of festivities at the Outer Sunset Farmers Market and Mercantile.

The Lunar New Year celebration was hosted by the bilingual Wah Mei School on Judah Street at 19th Avenue. Event emcees Leon Chao and Jessica Ho led attendees through the event’s programming, which included speeches from community members, vibrant lion dancing and a performance from the SF Happy Dance Troupe.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani and California State Sen. Scott Wiener also attended the event.

Wah Mei, the City’s first bilingual Chinese-English school, has been hosting Lunar New Year celebrations at the farmers market for the past three years. The organization was also responsible for establishing the Sunset Chinese Cultural District (SCCD) in July 2021. These efforts by the Wah Mei School are an attempt to promote the accomplishments of the neighborhood’s Chinese population as well as highlight Chinese culture.

Neighbors and community members packed the event, crowding around the performance trying to get a peek at the elaborate lion dancers’ costumes.

Neighborhood staples like Sunset Deli and Sunset Roasters provided chicken shawarmas and lattes from their trucks. Heavy hitters such as Maillards Smash Burgers had lines wrapped around their tents, with the smoky scent of grilled patties permeating the market.

The celebration was not without its political tension, however, as the recall effort against Engardio is ongoing. His support of Proposition K calling for the closure of the Upper Great Highway to make way for a park had activists from both the pro-recall and anti-recall camps rallying for support through petitions and signage.

The market is truly a reflection of the community in the Sunset. Kathy Wu, volunteer for the farmers market, has seen it grow in the last two years as a free, public space where neighbors can “have family time.”

Lily Wong, director of the SCCD and Wah Mei’s director of community engagement, said community events like these are necessary for the development of the neighborhood’s youth.

“As an organization, we recognize that to support a child, you need more than just the school during the school hours,” Wong said. “There’s a whole host of other things in the community that affect their ability to grow and thrive.”

Wong and her team have worked over the past two years to put on more community events in the Sunset. In addition to the Lunar New Year Festival, Wong’s team also helped launch the Autumn Moon Festival, which occurs during September, as well as funding a new mural on Taraval Street and 22nd Avenue.

Wong’s work with Wah Mei seeks to bring the community together and “inspire a sense of Sunset pride.”

The Outer Sunset Farmers Market and Mercantile is held every Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., on 37th Avenue between Ortega and Quintara streets. Learn more at sunsetmercantilesf.com.

Photos by Klyde Java