Richmond Night Market

The Richmond Night Market runs from spring to autumn on a lot near Bridgeport station, and it is built directly on the Taiwanese and Hong Kong model: several hundred stalls, most of them food, laid out in rows with a stage and games at one end. Richmond has one of the highest proportions of residents of Chinese origin of any city in North America, and the market reflects that, with skewers, bubble tea, takoyaki, hurricane potatoes, rotating dragon beard candy and a long list of things sold nowhere else locally. It draws upwards of a million visitors a season. Cash is still preferred at many stalls.

What you actually see

• The food rows - several hundred stalls of mostly Asian street food.
• The queue culture - long lines at whichever stall is that season's hit.
• The games and stage - carnival games and performances at one end.
• The scale - upwards of a million visitors across a season.

When to go

May to October, evenings only, Friday to Sunday and holidays; it closes entirely for winter. Arrive at opening to avoid the worst queues. Rain thins the crowd considerably.

Honest expectations

There is an admission charge, which surprises people. Queues at popular stalls run long and portions are small for the price. Many vendors take cash only and the ATM lines are long.

Nearby

Steveston lies southwest; Vancouver is north over the bridge.