Annual Asian Night Market is back in Montreal’s Chinatown

The annual Asian Night Market is back for its 8th edition in Montreal’s Chinatown, bigger than ever, with a jam-packed eight-day program set for the last two weekends of August.

The vibrant sights, lively sounds, and amazing smells from food vendors make the Asian Night Market a one-of-a-kind experience. 

It’s all about giving the city’s Chinatown a boost and supporting local businesses. 

“In the last months, it has been very tough for residents and for business owners in Chinatown with the issues of cohabitation with the homelessness population. So I would like to extend an invitation to all Montrealers to come and encourage those business owners and to come and to see Chinatown as vibrant as it can be during the next eight days,” said Winston Chan, committee member of Montreal’s Chinatown Asian Night Market.

The market features thirty vendors offering a variety of cuisines from across Asia. For illustrator and animator Maylee Keo, the fruits were particularly inspiring, evoking memories of her childhood.

“We have a big relationship with food. When it comes to fruits, that’s how our parents used to say, I love you because they weren’t very vocal about it, but it was mostly in gestures. So I feel like hopefully these designs will be able to speak,” said Keo.

Artist Bryan Beyung will create a mural on the corner of René-Lévesque and Saint-Laurent, right where the Asian Night Market is located.

“There’s also me and three other artists that are going to be painting on panels at the Sun-Yat-Sen space. So we’re all going to be a bunch of creative people. We’re going to let you enjoy food and some art at the same time this weekend, and next weekend” added Keo.

In addition to classic live performances such as lion dance, Bollywood, and Filipino dances, organizing committee member Mandy Tran, who was responsible for live performances, brought in a diverse lineup of local Asian DJs and performers.

This modern touch helps capture the vibrant reality of the neighborhood.

“It’s like an iconic spot and it has history but it can be fun. There’s parties here, there’s bars, you can eat tacos, there’s Mural… There’s so much things going on and I really want to highlight Chinatown and bring fun and party vibes to Chinatown,” said Tran.

Maylee Keo invites Montrealers to come to the Asian Night Market and encourage local community.

“Don’t forget to always encourage all our local people: Asian, Asian talent, Asian food, Asian arts, Asian everything. It’s not just a one-time thing. It’s not just a one summer thing. It’s an all year thing. Please and encourage all our minorities. Enjoy all of this beautiful culture that you have in Montreal. It’s a thing that we don’t have in many places in the world, so come through,” she said.