Midtown Immersive joins San Jose’s night market scene

There’s a new night market in San Jose, with food trucks, artists, vendors, music and a beer garden — all the usual features you’d expect from one of these popular events. But Midtown Immersive, centered around a century-old grain warehouse off San Carlos Street, launched last Friday with a funky vibe all its own.

Most of that comes down to its location on McAvoy Street — a largely industrial area of San Jose just west of the Caltrain tracks and downtown — and the hodge-podge layout, with planter boxes and benches serving as barriers where a sidewalk would be. On opening night, artist Francisco Ramirez worked on a painting in front of the crowd as a DJ played tunes, people sold “San Jose” T-shirts, jewelry and comic books. There was a flower bar, where you could put together your own bouquet, and even San Jose’s famed Antiques Colony had a few tables featuring an array of items for sale.

It’s as if someone hired an event planner to throw a party with the theme “flea market chic” — which actually is sort of how Midtown Immersive came to be.

Event planning company Asiel Design was forced to pivot when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down events throughout the Bay Area starting in March 2020. Co-owner Jonathan Gomez and his wife and partner, Linnae Gomez, decided to turn the rustic James Grain Warehouse — which they’ve used since 2003 — into a space for corporate events, weddings and private parties. Finally, the pieces fell in place to create a “night party” catering to the Midtown neighborhood growing around them.

“This has been a dream of mine to get this space going for about 10 years,” Gomez said Friday, showing off a beer garden strung with lights behind the warmly-lit warehouse. “At night, it’s beautiful.”

The weekly event runs 5 to 9 p.m. through June 16 at 245 McEvoy Street. Parking in the area is extremely limited, so if you don’t live within walking or biking distance, you might want to take public transit or a rideshare. Get information at www.jamesgrainwarehouse.com/midtownimmersive.

MORE MARKETS: If you’re in the mood for more nocturnal activity this week, the Gordon Biersch Night Market returns Thursday to the parking lot of the brewery in San Jose’s Japantown. Opening night this week will feature nine food trucks, a Cinco de Mayo theme and live wrestling courtesy of San Jose’s Pro Wrestling Revolution. It runs every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. through Sept. 7.

And the Berryessa Night Market returned last month and will run until October at Garden at the Flea, the event space at the San Jose Flea Market. This week, of course, also will be Cinco de Mayo themed. You can get more information on that one, as well as other events, at gardenattheflea.com.

POWERFUL STORIES: May is National Foster Care Month, and Pivotal — the nonprofit agency that started in 1989 as the Silicon Valley Children’s Fund — has brought an exhibition to Santa Clara University that speaks to the importance of taking care of foster youth. “Lost Childhoods” features photographs, stories and items that speak to the often transient existence that some foster children live — toys and bikes that are left behind, inexpensive food like ramen packages and, in one case, homemade sanitary pads.

But there are also success stories in the exhibit, which centers around themes including powerlessness, developmental disruption and empowerment, involving education, travel and athletics. And Pivotal added its own touch, commissioning work from San Jose artist Jorge “J. Duh” Camacho, who created “Cover to Cover,” a collection of four paintings depicting the covers of books based on the experiences of Pivotal Scholars.