After a decades-long run, the folks behind the Richmond Night Market yesterday announced that the 2026 season would be its final one, the end of an era for the island city event.
In response, the reactions to the announcement have been less than favourable, and in fact, quite a few residents seem to be celebrating the market’s end, due to how things have evolved over the past several years.
The summer event made Richmond a destination for locals and tourists. Some suggested that previous iterations of the event, including one that took place at Lansdowne Shopping Centre, were superior.
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“The night market was never the same or as good as it was after it left the Lansdowne location; it’s been downhill since then,” someone said on a Reddit discussion about the event.
It also spent some time as an event at a different location, behind the Home Depot on Vulcan Way.
Others blamed influencer culture and how expensive things had become. Many comments suggested the event was overpriced, including the cost of food, one of the main draws.
It had a good run. It was amazing in the early days, but in recent years became overrun by a lot of overpriced instagram trend garbage and just wasn’t the same.
— Drew Munro (@drewcooks) August 5, 2026
“Oh no, where else are we gonna pay an overpriced entry fee in order to buy overpriced food?” someone said.
“Nothing but a money grab,” said someone else in response.
Chef James at the Richmond Night Market
Others reflected on the value it once brought to the region and how it celebrated Asian culture.
“Say what you will about what it’s become, but it was a big stepping stone towards establishing Chinese culture in the mainstream in the Lower Mainland. Even 20 years ago, the amount of people that had not had Asian food living in the Lower Mainland was staggering. I remember taking so many white people to their first Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indian food in the early 2000s. It was much easier to introduce at night market,” one Redditor said.
In response to our Instagram post on Dished Vancouver about the closure, someone said, “Not going to miss this. The essence of these markets should be to bring people together, have fun and offer value, not a money pit.”
One of the most liked comments reads, “Gonna be tough to find overpriced food and 15 stalls of phone cases after this.”
The market did offer free admission for folks for one day, but it only lasted an hour.
City of Richmond response
Richmond City Hall/Facebook
Considering the impact this event has on the City of Richmond, we wondered if City officials had a comment on the permanent end of the night market and if there were any plans to replace it.
The City told Daily Hive Urbanized that it recognizes the market as “a valued cultural, tourism and economic asset that has contributed significantly to Richmond’s identity and visitor economy for 26 years, typically hosting 200 to 250 vendors and attracting more than one million visitors annually.”
It added that the night market’s current operation was authorized through a Temporary Commercial Use Permit. That permit was approved for 2024, 2025, and 2026.
“The future of the Night Market’s current site is a matter of private lease negotiation between the operator and the property owner. The City is not involved in those negotiations and does not control commercial terms between third parties,” the City said.
“Should the operator wish to explore future options in Richmond, City staff are available to advise on applicable land use, permitting, and licensing, and to work with the operator and relevant partners as appropriate,” the City added.
Richmond Conservatives plan to save the market
On Thursday morning, the Conservative Electors Association said that if elected, a Conservative mayor and council would prevent the market’s permanent closure.
It added that it would secure a new, larger, long-term location with room to expand further.
“The Richmond Night Market belongs in Richmond. The clue is in the name,” said Richmond Conservative City Council candidate Alex Sagert in an email.
“Its current lease may be ending, but its story does not have to end with it.”
The Conservatives shared estimates from Tourism Richmond that the market attracts around 800,000 visitors every year, which includes thousands of people from outside Richmond.
“We will treat this as an urgent community and economic-development priority,” said Sagert. “A Conservative Mayor and Council will bring the organizers, landowners and City departments together and drive this process forward.”