Growing Mississauga Festival Expands to More Cities

Even though the pandemic and its significant restrictions are behind us, the food service sector-especially food festivals and restaurants-has had a tough time bouncing back in an environment filled with high inflation and economic uncertainty.

However, while some major festivals have taken long breaks due to various challenges such as funding issues, last-minute cancellations because of permit troubles, or simply struggling to find good locations, one relatively new festival that began in Mississauga is not only coming back year after year but also expanding into more cities across the GTA and southern Ontario.

“This year, we have 14 events total in about 11 cities. Last year, we went to Niagara Falls and Windsor; this year, we tried to reach out to more communities,” Ruifeng (Ricky) Zhen, the organizer of the Ontario Asian Night Market Series, tells INsauga. com.

The Mississauga Asian Night Market is a three-day celebration of food and culture that first took over Square One’s P6 parking lot in July 2024. It gave locals and visitors a chance to enjoy exciting and innovative foods-some made just for this event.

In 2025, Zhen expanded the event to two additional cities in Ontario. This year, it has attracted crowds in Toronto, Newmarket, London, Vaughan and Oakville. The market will keep going throughout summer with plans to be at Square One from Friday, July 17, to Sunday, July 19 before heading to Niagara Falls, Scarborough, Barrie, Windsor and Burlington.

Zhen mentions that this series is now the biggest Asian cultural celebration of its kind in Ontario.

In Mississauga alone, the annual festival will bring together food vendors, cultural performers, artisans and thousands of attendees for what Zhen describes as a showcase of Asian cuisine and traditions along with community spirit.

<p Regarding what’s driving this rapid expansion, Zhen shares that he and his team began scouting for other appealing venues after finishing up last year's events. Although they’ve had to move quickly at times, he believes their numbers reflect how much people appreciate the festival across Ontario.

“We started last year after the festival season ended in October and we did some research on how to choose venues and municipalities,” he explains. He adds that it took considerable time to understand various towns’ permitting processes and safety regulations.

“It took a while to get it prepared but so far; the outcome has been great. The one in London at T& T Supermarket was a four-day event running from Thursday through Sunday-and it was packed even on Thursday! Even on a weekday when people were working-it surprised us; these kinds of events really attract locals.”

Zhen also ventured into Canada’s largest city for the first time by hosting the East Bloom Tea and Gourmet Festival at Sankofa Square (previously Yonge-Dundas Square) right in downtown Toronto.

<p“"Our festivals are happening in Toronto for the first time with our first at Sankofa Square over Victoria Day weekend. It was very busy because it's right next to Eaton Centre-Canada's busiest intersection," he says.

“It was challenging but luckily Sankofa Square’s team was very professional; they helped us out quite a bit.”

Zhen acknowledges that running a festival comes with challenges due to increasing costs but feels it’s worthwhile for sharing Asian culture with everyone across Ontario while supporting local businesses too.

“The experience can be tough because costs are rising fast-it’s quite an undertaking putting together public events. We have many details we need to manage-security measures along with fire safety protocols plus traffic flow must all be considered carefully-we invest heavily into making these festivals enjoyable yet safe,” he states.

“Hosting these events during such times isn’t easy since we’ve noticed people are spending less than they used too-even less than post-COVID when they were eager after being stuck at home so long. We’re facing higher expenses ourselves yet we’re committed towards promoting our heritage.”

The festival is organized thanks largely due support from Horizon Legacy Foundation-a community-driven organization focused on cultural preservation along with community development initiatives connecting different generations together through shared experiences.

As for what lies ahead regarding upcoming festivities taking place in Mississauga, Zhen anticipates attendance exceeding 30 thousand over just one weekend! Visitors entering free will enjoy culinary offerings provided by over fifty vendors presenting dishes spanning Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, FIlipino cuisines etc. Also featured will be twenty merchandise/artisan stands, games, bouncy castles plus more surprises!

If you’re looking forward towards sampling delicious favorites among Asia street eats then expect goodies like dumplings, ramsen, bubble tea, takoyaki, and Korean fried chicken alongside grilled specialties plus unique fusion creations merging traditional tastes meeting modern flair!

For entertainment , there’ll also be performances including lion dances during opening ceremonies Friday, kung-fu demonstrations, DJs live bands filling atmosphere throughout duration event ! And brand new addition open-mic karaoke session allowing anyone showcase their talents up stage “.

“We did this London drew huge crowds – folks feel like stars once step onto stage ,” chuckles zhen expressing excitement bringing concept mississaugas shores hoping many line-up perform.”

According zhens insights key factors contributing success uniqueness itself.

“Most attendees mention loving experience offered around culinary choices which can’t typically order restaurants besides open mic karaoke fun !” he enthuses.

Looking future, zhen adds his team received inquiries from several organizations possibly expanding location further northward reaching even more communities down road ahead ! He notes steadily increasing popularity online/offline attracting attention social media encouraging even greater turnout live audiences.

“For tour-style gathering right now likely among largest held – traditionally smaller single annual affairs occur however aim spread awareness surrounding rich diverse asian cultures through many areas beyond traditional boundaries ,” declares zhen confidently!“Aside delectable treats provided forms lively entertainment helping empower grassroots initiatives whilst aiding neighborhood small businesses brings forth welcoming responses wherever landed !”his enthusiasm radiates through every word spoken reflecting determination succeed regardless obstacles faced … ” said smiling wide!”