Richmond Night Market confirmed to permanently end after Summer 2026 season | Daily Hive

Richmond Night Market

Richmond Night Market will permanently wrap its decades-long run at the end of the Summer 2026 season, with organizers announcing today that its lease at its current location has come to an end.

The popular summer attraction has stated that approximately six weeks remain before its final season concludes.

For more than a quarter century, the market has grown from a local community event into one of British Columbia’s best-known summertime destinations, drawing millions of visitors with its wide range of food vendors, retail stalls, games, and live entertainment.

“As the owner, I have had the privilege of organizing and operating the Richmond Night Market for the past 26 years,” said Raymond Cheung, founder of the Richmond Night Market.

“It has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable journeys of my life. Watching a single local event grow into one of Canada’s best-known summer attractions has been an incredible honour.”

For the 2026 season, the market first opened on April 24. Its last scheduled operating day is Sunday, Sept. 20. Its opening hours are from 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday holidays, and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on regular Sundays and other statutory holidays.

According to the organizers, the decision follows the expiration of its lease, ending its operations at the current site after the 2026 season. The announcement did not provide details about any potential future location or a replacement event.

However, it has been known for a long while that Richmond Night Market’s current location using most of the 20-acre vacant gravel waterfront site next to SkyTrain’s Brighouse Station and River Rock Casino Resort. The site was always slated for development, with the annual event spanning between the late spring and late summer/early fall period being a temporary use.

In 2024, Richmond City Council approved the application by Jingon International Development Group to redevelop the site into a 100 per cent commercial development, entailing 1.32 million sq. ft. of hotel uses (with nearly 2,000 hotel rooms), 910,000 sq. ft. of office/institution space, 540,000 sq. ft. of entertainment space, and 622,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant use — all within nearly a dozen mid-rise buildings up to 12 storeys. This was intended to be a lively vibrant tourist and regional destination. Jingon had also partnered with Cayan Group, a developer with offices in Dubai and Riyadh.

However, this project is no longer going ahead. Shortly after, the developers found themselves in financial trouble, with the property subsequently entering foreclosure. A court-ordered sale process of the property is currently underway.

Daily Hive Urbanized has reached out to the City of Richmond, developer, and commercial real estate firm overseeing the court-ordered sale process.

Daily Hive Urbanized previously reported in 2024 that the night market at the time was operating on a three-year lease extension, expiring in 2026. This means the lease was not renewed.

Cheung first began the night market as a small operation at the first location of the Continental Centre strip mall parking lot in 2000. It then relocated to various other locations.

Cheung was then behind the first large night market operation at the industrial waterfront site on Vulcan Way near Richmond’s Home Depot and IKEA. A competing night market, known as the Illumination Summer Night Market, opened at the location from 2008 to 2017.

After a four-year hiatus, Cheung’s original night market operation reopened in 2012 at the current vacant waterfront location, where No. 3 Road and Bridgeport Road meet.

Since opening, the market has become a showcase for Richmond’s cultural diversity and food scene. It has also served as a launching point for small businesses and entrepreneurs seeking to introduce their products to large crowds. Organizers said thousands of businesses have participated over the market’s history, while the annual event has created seasonal jobs for generations of young workers.

With as many as 250 vendor booths and close to 100 food stalls, the night market saw up to approximately 10,000 visitors per night and employed approximately 1,000 people on a seasonal basis.

More to come…

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