Dalston’s back roads were lit up last weekend as an after-hours market was opened in a disused car park.
Night Tales, a six week street project boasting pop-up bars, food vendors and live music, drew in more than 5,000 punters on its opening weekend.
“It’s a diverse crowd”, observed Tom Hills, who attended the event with friends on Friday, “ranging from the expected east London set to the city boys in suits.”
The market is hosting a variety of food-stands, including Rainbo, a Japanese gyoza bar, and BAO, the new winner of the Young British Foodies Award, who specialise in Taiwanese steamed burgers.
Smokey Tails, a culinary side-project from renowned DJs Seth Troxler and Ryan Crosson, will be serving US BBQ joints to late night revellers until mid December, and the pair are set to make appearances on both the decks and the grill before the end of the month. “We thought we saw Seth stirring a pot behind the kitchen earlier”, added Hills, “but we realised the guy was a little too thin to be him – and for some reason he was wearing a dress. Strong resemblance otherwise, though.”
Night Tales’s organisers Bootstrap Campus, who set up the Dalston Roof Park, maintain that the event is more than just a money-maker. “For Night Tales we have recruited an assistant producer, Shem, paid at the London living wage” said Henry Trew, a volunteer at Bootstrap, “it’s part of our project to revolutionise the way that young people from East London perceive work.”
Night Tales will be open Thursday to Saturday every week until 14 December.
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