Temple Street Night Market
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Temple Street - by severin.stalder (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Description
The Temple Street night market , and has been a fixture of the Jordan/Yau Ma Tei district since at least the 1920s when vendors gathered to serve the temple goers. It is the Hong Kong's most famous night market and also works as a flea market. Typical of many similar big city markets in Asia, it sells cheap merchandise - for which price can be negotiated - and street snacks served by "dai pai dongs" (open air food-stalls). There is also some Cantonese Opera singing near the Tin Hau Temple from around 20h30 - excluding Wednesday (which is the horse racing day in HK!) The market spans the area between Nanking St and Man Ming lane.
Access & Transport
The night market is located close to the Jordan MTR station, in the central Kowloon area, a 5 mins walk from Jordan MTR (Tsuen Wan line) and Austin MTR (West Rail line). It can also be accessed by buses with stops along Nathan and Jordan road.
Instructions & Recommendations
The formal opening hours are 14h00 to 24h00 but many stalls only set up early evening so the best time to visit is between 18h00 and 23h00. Make sure you also explore the back streets for better deals and plan to eat there - either snacks or at roadside restaurants in the area. This activity can easily be combined with a visit of the Mongkok neighbourhood
Environmental & Social
If you are environmentally conscious and wish to encourage sustainable activities and businesses, this probably will not be top of your list. Recycling and sourcing policies basically do not exist, and the sight of this mountain of cheap clothes and toys will ring the ''what a waste alert" in your head. Socially, the negative effects of commercialization balance out the positive of maintaining this economic input into the community.
Conclusion
The Temple Street night market is worth having on one's schedule when coming to Hong Kong - it is the most popular in the city, but it can also be replaced by another night market. However, for those who have travelled in South East Asia, the market is unlikely to feel very original - but still a welcome opportunity to eat out in a lively atmosphere.
Key positive
Ease of access being located close to 2 MTR stations
Good opportunity to try local street food
Key negative
Encourages consumerism, which scores low in terms of environmental sustainability
Negotiating can be fun initially but ends up being tiring
Crowded
Suitability
Tourists and locals of all age can enjoy the market and surrounding streets. The stalls are all at street-level so technically it can be accessed by wheelchair, but the tourist crowds may make this a little unpleasant
About this Rating
TYPE
Onsite
RESEARCHED IN
May 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 30m
est. visit time:1h 15m
Monday17:00 - 23:00
Tuesday17:00 - 23:00
Wednesday17:00 - 23:00
Thursday17:00 - 23:00
Friday17:00 - 23:00
Saturday17:00 - 23:00
Sunday17:00 - 23:00