We went to the Richmond Night Market tonight. While the night market has been open since May 19th, tonight was the official grand opening. There were speakers from the local and provincial governments as well as Raymond Cheung, the founder of Target Event and producer of the Richmond Night Market.

Despite the name, a night market is not a place to go looking for ladies of the evening. It’s a festival, a carnival, a celebration of food, culture and adventure. The Richmond Night Market is a dazzling summer event that captures the hearts and imaginations of millions of visitors of all ages. The market is a vast space teeming with visitors, 400 vendors selling fabrics, decorations, trinkets, toys and richly aromatic foods, and entertainers romancing audiences with cultural performances from Asian and Western traditions.

Now in its seventh summer, the event is held weekend evenings from the end of May to the beginning of September. The market is expected to draw up to 2 million of visitors with this year’s theme: “Summer of Love.”

The Night Market overlooks the Fraser River’s middle estuary on a 400,000 square foot site in central Richmond. The space is divided into vendor spaces, a large concert-style stage, and an arena for carnival games and rides. To accommodate the visitors that grace the market every year, there is parking space for over 1000 vehicles, which really isn’t enough. Back when the night market used to happen near my office, I made about $400 every weekend by renting my parking stalls for $5.00. Too bad they were only there for one year before moving to their current location.