Southeast Asian Market

The Southeast Asian Market is open at Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park this Saturday, October 17, and it's one of those South Philly spots that's more of a neighborhood fixture than a one-off event. It's run by a community of refugee and immigrant vendors who've called FDR Park home since the 1980s, and over the last 35 years they've built it into a cultural hub for social gatherings, ethnic cuisines, and business opportunities through vending.

It started with Lao and Khmer sellers and grew to include Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian vendors—a cross-section of Philadelphia's Southeast Asian refugee and immigrant narrative. When you walk through, you'll find native dishes, culturally specific produce, plants, clothing, and jewelry, with entrepreneurs speaking several languages. It's a place to pick up things you won't find at a standard grocery store, but it's also a place to just hang out.

The market has worked as more than a place to buy things, too. During the 2020 pandemic, it became a safe outdoor gathering space. Since then, it's hosted the 2021 Rally Against Anti-Asian Hate and March, back-to-school supply giveaways, and bilingual voter registration and deportation information sessions. Catzie Vilayphonh, a Southeast Asian Outreach Network Community Cultivator, says she hopes it becomes a Philadelphia landmark alongside the cheesesteak and the Rocky steps.

The market runs Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM to 6 PM, through October 31, 2026. You'll find it at Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park, 1500 Pattison Avenue & S. Broad Street in South Philadelphia.