The End of a Chinese Cultural Icon
Written by Andrea Chiang (they/them) // Community Editor
Visuals by Anna Dinh (she/her) // Contributor
The Richmond Night Market always felt like a consistent part of my childhood. My earliest memory was unexpectedly bumping into my childhood best friend. This was back when the market was small enough for two kids to run to each end of the tiny L-shaped market, while my mother haggled for blankets with a vendor.
Every summer, it felt like an integral part of my bucket list, just like visiting the beach and camping might be for other kids. It was always a fun event to attend with friends and family, try different foods from various vendors and check out unique apparel from local businesses. It was the first place I would recommend to Richmond newcomers who asked what was a must-see. This year, the Richmond Night Market is closing permanently on September 20, 2026. But the impact this night market has had on the community will last a lifetime.
The Richmond Night Market was founded in 2000 by Raymond Cheung and his company Firework Productions Ltd. In the same year, the first market was held in the Continental Shopping Centre parking lot on Cambie Road. They relocated several times to accommodate the growing number of visitors each year. By 2012, the market found its home on the 20 acres of empty dirt-patched land on 8351 River Road across the Bridgeport Canada Line Station. Now, the Richmond Night Market averages up to 250 vendors with over 500 food options and 100+ retail booths. It became an international attraction as the largest night market in all of North America, bringing in over 1 million visitors each year,
Its popularity was inevitable. Prior to the 2000s, the Lower Mainland only had the Chinatown Night Market, but the commute was less accessible to Richmond residents, since Translink’s Canada Line skytrain wasn’t built until 2009. For the large Chinese immigrant population of Richmond, Cheung offered a family tradition that they instantly recognized. Stemming from China’s Tang Dynasty in the 9th century A.D., night bazaars had spread across Asia cementing it as a part of many Asian countries’ entertainment and culture. Cheung emulated his own experience growing up in Hong Kong by hosting Asian food vendors and merchants every summer season, providing a fun, communal event for families seeking entertainment after dinner.
Cheung didn’t just do it for nostalgia, but also to support other young entrepreneurs in Richmond by giving them an opportunity to rent an affordable booth at his event. Raymond Cheung’s project even inspired another person, Paul Cheung—no relation—to start his own night market back in 2008. It resulted in a copyright infringement case filed by Raymond, which he won. There’s no denying that Raymond Cheung’s annual festival has had a lasting effect on businesses in the Lower Mainland. Now that the Richmond Night Market is closing, many of the vendors are facing an uncertain future, leaving “roughly 1,000 people employed by [Cheung’s] company out of work,” according to an article by the Vancouver Sun. The CTV News writes that the Richmond Night Market’s closure will have a major impact on tourism as we will be losing “an important summer staple to Richmond,” one that attracts a million visitors each year.
“There is no confirmation of a new location nor a timeline of future announcements” for the Richmond Night Market according to a recent Richmond News article in August 6,2026. Since 2024, the site has been proposed for “hotel, entertainment facilities, shopping and businesses” as well as “school and institutional use.”
The Richmond Night Market’s permanent closure has spawned mixed reactions. When I interviewed some Lower Mainland residents about their thoughts on the Richmond Night Market, one person wrote that “it’s gotten more expensive and more gimmicky. It’s not about selling a variety of good quality food but what food would look cool to post online.” Many visitors have valid complaints about the increased prices for entry and food, including what they saw was an oversaturation of bootleg fair games in spite of the main draw being the food and local vendors.
Despite the criticisms, the Richmond Night Market still holds a special place in many residents’ hearts. “I feel like it’s so embedded to people who live in Metro Vancouver,” writes one Lower Mainland resident from Filipino descent. Another resident, in an interview with Vancouver Sun, said it “reminds her and her family of the pasar malam back home [in Malaysia].” As someone born and raised in Richmond, I can’t help but agree.
What started as the founder’s idea to bring a bit of home away from home, turned into a cultural icon of Metro Vancouver. It has brought Chinese and Asian culture to the forefront of Richmond’s identity. It has become a staple of our city—a part of our home—and sadly, it seems we have outlived it. But just like all good things, the memory and legacy of the Richmond Night Market will live on through the people that visited, the people who built a living from it and the people who grew up with it thinking it’ll stay forever. Now we can only look forward to what’s to come next.