The night market

A large outdoor market that runs on summer evenings — food stalls, trinket stalls, and a crowd. It's noisy, it's crowded, and for one evening it's genuinely fun.

The basics

Dates, hours and location have changed more than once in recent years. Check the organiser before you set out — this is the page on my site that goes stale fastest.

How to do it

Arrive early, in the first hour. The queues at the popular food stalls grow through the evening and by nine the main aisles are shoulder to shoulder. Eat in small amounts from several stalls rather than committing to one plate.

The reliable things are the skewers, the rotating potato, the bubble waffles and whatever has the longest queue of people who look like they come every week.

Getting there

Park where you can and expect to walk; the lots fill and the exit afterwards is slow. The Canada Line plus a short walk is less painful on a Saturday than driving, and considerably less painful at closing time.

Is it worth it?

Once, yes. It's a distinctive thing to do and the food is good. Locals tend to go once a summer and then remember why they only go once a summer. If crowds are hard for you, skip it and eat on Alexandra Road instead — the food is better anyway.