The Richmond Night Market is a large night market with lots of food, shops and entertainment. For 2018, it operates from May 11 to October 8th and is only open during the weekend from Friday to Sunday. It opens at 7pm and closes at either 11pm or 12am depending on the day.
I first heard of the Richmond Night Market from a my sorority’s Facebook traveling group. One of my sorority sisters had asked about recommendations for Vancouver and one of the responses said to check out the market. I had almost forgotten about it until I saw an ad for it while I was on the Canada Line SkyTrain. I decided I had to check it out at least once before I left Vancouver.
Getting There
I read that parking and traffic can get really horrible at the market. Luckily, the Canada Line SkyTrain goes right to it. You get off the Bridgeport stop and have to walk about 8 minutes to the site of the market. You know if you’re in the right spot if you see the River Rock Casino Resort. The market is right next to it.
Lines and Crowds
I ended up going on a Saturday. It had rained during the day but I looked up the weather and saw it was not going to rain further during the evening. I thought it would be a great time to go since the earlier rain would probably deter some people from attending which means lesser crowds. And I was right! The crowd wasn’t too bad.
When looking up the Richmond Night Market, I had read some recommendations to get there early even before it opens. So I arrived there at about 6:45pm and the line was already a little long. The entrance fee is $4.25CA and free for 10-years and younger. There are people in the front advertising a $25 Zoom pass which gets up to 6 people into the market without waiting in line. Since I was by myself, it wasn’t worth it but I would definitely recommend it for people with groups of 5 or 6. Another suggestion I saw online was for people with smaller groups to form groups of 6 people to buy a Zoom pass. That way you can skip the line. I think this is a great idea but I didn’t want to go around asking a lot of strangers to take me into their group, so I decided to wait and I finally got into the market at about 7:30pm.
The Coupon Book
Upon entering the market I was given a coupon book and a postcard. I appreciated the postcard since I collect postcards when I travel but the coupon book was almost worthless to me as most of the coupons in it featured deals for if you bought more than one item or if you spent a certain amount of money. It’s definitely a good deal for big groups but not if you’re traveling solo. I did find one thing useful with the coupon book: a handy dandy map.
The Food
I believe the main reason people go to the market is to eat. That’s the main reason I wanted to go anyway. There were 103 food stalls showcasing entrees, snacks, desserts and drinks. The food at the market is mostly of the Asian variety or Asian-operated. In the front of the market and inside the market there were signs showcasing some of the fan favorites. Everything looked so good, it was hard to decide.
Displayed in the front, some of the most popular food choices at the market, voted by visitors.
Fish Sticks
Fish Sticks was one of the featured fan favorites. It looked pretty tasty so I decided to try it. It was $7.00 for 1 stick and $13.00 for 2. They also give you a jumbo option which, if I remember right, was $10 or $11. Since I was alone and wanted to sample other foods, I got the single regular stick. There are 10 different seasoning / sauces you can choose from: lemon pepper, salt & pepper, creamy jalapeno, spicy mayo, wasabi-mayo, sweet thai, teri-mayo, spicy salsa, garlic seasoning and tartar. I got the spicy mayo.
Icy Bar
I wandered around for awhile debating on whether I was going to get something savory or skip to dessert. After making my rounds twice, finally decided to get something sweet. I got the Mango and Strawberry Icy at the Icy Bar, a Taiwanese shaved ice booth. The regular size was $7.50 but decided to get the mini which was only $5.
Dumpling Master
I knew I wanted to order one more item before leaving the market, I just didn’t know what. I definitely wanted something savory again, not sweet. I also wanted something not too expensive or large. After roaming around, the potstickers at some of the Dim Sum booths were calling my name. At 2 different booths, I saw that $5.50 would get me 4 regular potstickers. Then I came upon the Dumpling Master. The Dumpling Master features a variety of different types of dumplings. I already had dumplings on the brain so I knew I found my last Richmond Night Market meal. With so many flavors to choose from, it was hard to decide on just one. Luckily, they have a mixed option that features 7 dumplings, all different flavors for $7.50.
Shops
In addition to the food, there were many booths selling merchandise. It looked like there were a lot of sock shops selling 10 pairs for $10 or cell phone case places. There was also some art and clothes vendors as well.
Other things to do
Around the market were big dinosaur statues, some of the moved and roared. The Richmond Night Market website called it the Magical Dino Park. I didn’t really think it was that great. It was just something to take pictures of or with. The market also features a play area for kids with bounce houses and a big section with overpriced carnival games. Upon exiting the market, I passed by the stage where the Shimmy for the soul Belly Dance group was performing.
Thinking about going to the Richmond Night Market? Check out the Richmond Night Market website for more information.
NOTE: All prices listed above are in Canadian dollars.