Ottawa Asian night markets kick off for the weekend

Two popular events are taking place this weekend as Ottawa’s festival season gets into full swing. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

It’s the kick-off of festival season in the nation’s capital.

Every year, thousands of people attend two popular Asian night markets and both are now underway. One is taking place in Chinatown on Somerset Street West between Bronson Avenue and Bell Street, the other at Tanger Outlets in Kanata.

The crowds were building this afternoon, and you could sense the community connection as people were happy to share food and learn more about traditional cultures.

Spirits were high at the Chinatown location, where three generations of the Munro family took it all in.

“We’re originally Chinese and my mom is actually from China,” said Victor Munro, who was at the market with his son and mother. “Part of being here is actually just to show my son the cultural heritage, where he comes from originally.”

“We want to show that little kid it’s really fun and especially with the food, you know, that I don’t know how to make it myself,” said Susanna Munro.

Dozens of vendors were set up along the street market, which is open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“The Chinatown festival is just a wonderful place for us to really showcase all of our different cuisines and our different creations that we create every year,” said Julia Park, who had several vendors set up at the market with different types of food.

The market highlights all types of cuisine, including unique dishes on the grill or fresh juices and teas.

“This is Yaki onigiri,” said Park. “They’re creating fresh sort of Japanese inspired rice balls in a triangle shape and then they grill it with like a butter miso glaze.”

There was plenty to pick from at the market, which represents several Asian countries.

“It’s a great combination of Asian fusion, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese influences,” said Munro.

The event also includes art pieces and handmade goods, with the chance to create something special yourself.

“It’s basically a Chinese cultural heritage, which you pick a fan and then dip colors into water and dip the dan into the water to create art,” said Chuqiao Zhou, who was running a booth called Lac Lab where people can paint handheld fans.

The market is free to attend, and it runs all weekend until Sunday night. It’s also important to note that the event is only accessible by foot and attendees will have to take transit or park offsite.