Chinatown is getting a taste of Hong Kong this Labour Day weekend as the Asian Night Market returns to Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
Organized by Asie en Fête in partnership with the Ville-Marie borough and Chinatown merchants, the free, family-friendly event runs from Thursday to Monday at 1111 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.
The five-day event is the final night market of the season and is running longer than the usual weekend format. Organizers say the goal is not only to offer an evening of Asian street food and entertainment, but also to bring more visitors into Chinatown and support local businesses.
“We do an Asian Night Market to really increase foot traffic to Chinatown,” said Winston Chan, a board member with Asie en Fête. “We invite visitors all around Quebec to come and visit our Chinatown.”
It didn’t take long for the night market to fill up Friday evening. Twenty vendors are offering everything from dumplings and grilled skewers to noodles and squid on a stick. For those with a sweet tooth, there’s also tanghulu, a sugar-coated fruit skewer popular in China.
“We’re very happy and excited to see all the people around and serve different people with Chinese culture,” said vendor Zoé Su whose business has participated in the night market for about five years.
The market recreates the atmosphere of a Hong Kong night market, with food stalls, neon lights and outdoor seating lining Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Visitors can also enjoy a bar and an outdoor screening of a Hong Kong film on Saturday evening.
Beyond food, visitors can sit down for free games of mahjong throughout the festival. The centuries-old game also inspired parts of the event’s visual design and street banners.
“I learned it with my brother, so it’s a core memory of how we bonded,” said visitor Gloria So. “Mahjong is a core memory of how we learned together and keeping the memory alive.”
The event is also drawing curious newcomers.
“I’ve been trying the food. There’s lamb skewers, spring rolls, beef buckets just around the place. It’s really good,” said one visitor. Another, who tried squid for the first time, said the experience had changed their mind about the seafood dish.
Just beyond the festival grounds, local businesses are seeing the impact as well.
“I really like this because it brings a lot of customers for us,” said Qi Tang, owner of nearby restaurant Chez Chili.
The market continues Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., before expanding to daytime hours over the weekend. It runs Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m., and wraps up Monday, Labour Day, from noon to 9 p.m.
Admission is free, making the event an accessible way for Montrealers and visitors to experience Chinatown while supporting the neighbourhood’s merchants.
“Don’t be afraid to try something if you really wanted it,” one visitor said. “It’s a really good experience.”
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