Pasar malam

Pasar malam is a Malay word that literally means "night market" (the word pasar comes from bazaar in Persian^[1][2]). A pasar malam is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore that opens in the evening, usually in residential neighbourhoods.^[3] Pasar malams are culturally very similar to night markets in Asian countries such as China (Nanluoguixiang, Shuang'an Night Markets), Thailand (Chatuchak Market), Taiwan (Shilin Market), Vietnam (Hanoi's Old Quarter), South Korea (Namdaemum Market) and India (Mangal Bazaar).^[4]

The pasar malam may be held in a fixed location or itinerant, offering a variety of products such as street food, snacks, desserts, produce, apparel, accessories, handmade crafts, houseware, gadgets, toys, knick-knacks, and ornaments at cheap or reasonable prices. Counterfeit goods such as fake branded wearables and pirated CDs may also be sold at a pasar malam.

Pasar malam might resemble a night festival or a fairground, where fair games and kiddy rides, like a mini carousel or mini train ride, may also be present. Several quintessential fair snacks like cotton candy, ice cream, hot dogs, and grilled sausages are also popular, next to the offerings of traditional local delicacies. A pasar malam often takes place only one to a few days of the week, as the traders rotate around different neighbourhoods on different days of the week. Haggling over prices is a common practice at such markets.