A celebration of the sights, sounds, wares, flavours and games beloved by Hong Kongers is returning to the North Vancouver waterfront.
On Sunday, May 11, the Vancouver Hong Kong Fair is returning to The Shipyards from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For many, the event’s main attraction will be the more than 80 booths in the cultural market, run by local and newcomer artisans, creators and small businesses.
The market entry fee is $3.50 per hour, which organizers say is to make sure everyone who wants to get in is able to. With as many as 18,000 people visiting last year's fair, the market was constantly full, said spokesperson Heiky Kwan.
But the rest of the festival, spread across the The Shipyards pavilion, is free.
That includes Hong Kong street food stalls, an open outdoor stage featuring various performances, a beginners and masters mahjong area, as well as community booths offering resources and connections to diaspora organizations.
The annual fair is one of the largest of its kind in North America, and is organized by local volunteer organization HK House.
A theme running through this year's event is sensory memories of Hong Kong, Kwan said.
"We have the traces of Hong Kong exhibition ... there's the photography from award winning-photographer Chan Kiu, archives of important events through their lens. And we have the tactile kind of memory and tradition with the workshop for paper crafting," she said.
There will also be an exhibit for the mini bus, which is a cultural icon in Hong Kong.
"It's a very unique form of transportation, and seeing that exhibition there, being able to take pictures, do a hands-on crafts with with kids, we're just evoking all those senses in terms of memories and traditions," Kwan said.
Hong Kong fair's mission is to preserve culture, organizer says
In the market, you'll also find a section where children will be doing business with their parents.
"They learn how to do business in their mother tongue," Kwan said. "That's something often lost with second-generation kids who grow up here, and so a lot of the parents have expressed a deep appreciation for the chance to interact with their kids in Cantonese."
For those wanting to attend the market, Kwan suggests buying a ticket ahead of time. That's to anticipate numbers and avoid big lineups like they had last year, she added.
"[A ticket] has an hourly time stamp," she said. "This is so that we can ensure everyone who wants to go in can get in."
One of the key goals of the fair is to feature aspects of Hong Kong culture that are at risk of disappearing, like the practice of sugar art.
"As Hong Kongers ... we've gone through colonialism, and then reintegration, and now a lot of displacement," Kwan said. "That's why one of our key priorities and mission is to preserve culture, to promote culture, and to have this space for people to freely express what Hong Kong culture means to them.
For more information about the Vancouver Hong Kong Fair, visit the event website.
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