SURREY — Cloverdale Exhibition Fairgrounds will be home to the Lower Mainland's newest night market this summer.
Organizers of the new Surrey Night Market plan to create a family-oriented, multicultural venue with foods from around the world, starting July 4. They are modelling the event on night markets held in Richmond, Chinatown and North Vancouver.
"It's multicultural, it's multinational. Everybody will be there. We hope to have food and vendors from across the board, not from any one community," said Satbir Cheema, one of the market's organizers.
While the market is still in the early stages of planning, Cheema says the organizers have already fielded more than 15 inquiries from food vendors since announcing the market's creation late last week.
Organizers are seeking applications from food and retail vendors, as well as performers and musicians.
"We'll be encouraging local artisans and small businesses, especially people who don't have space and need an outlet and an opportunity to be able to come and showcase their products," said Cheema. "If there is a local artist, local bands, local performers, dancers, they will have free opportunity to come on the stage and perform."
Despite criticism on social media that the Cloverdale venue is not easily accessible by transit, Cheema says the location makes the most sense for the family-focused market. Water, washrooms, hydro and free parking are already provided at the Cloverdale site.
"We thought about it a lot, and this is the best place for the long-term, and they have the facilities," he said. "If we do it anywhere else, we would have to build that infrastructure."
The inaugural Surrey Night Market is set to open July 4 at the Cloverdale Exhibition Fairgrounds. It will run Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Aug. 30. For details, visit Surreynightmarket.com.