greenthumbs2021
- Mar 28, 2017
- 2 min read

April 13th Event Preview: Strolling the Night Market

by Robin Buyers, emergence Curator

“Tonight we’re getting together and going to the night market…Everyone’s there: men and women, the old and the young.”

In “Strolling the Night Market” (1991), Taiwanese singer Zheng Jinyi sings of a tradition that goes back to the Tang Dynasty, but now very much at home not only in Asia but in cities around the world. Part of a profoundly urban culture, night markets first sprang up outside temples, with vendors selling snacks and handicrafts and fortune tellers and street performers working the crowd.

Temple Street Night Market, Hong Kong

Photo: The Telegraph, U.K., Archive

A mash-up of international night market with DIY artspace, Green Thumbs emergence will transform the Regent Park Community Food Centre at 40 Oak Street into an indoor street alive with food stalls, drink bars, artist tables, and interactive storymaking. Be your own fortune teller at the Green Future Common Table, expressing what sustainability might mean in your life moving forward. Or let Earth Day Canada Earth Play Videographer, Yusur Al-Bahrani, take you back to the outdoor play of your childhood.

Earth Day Canada EarthPlay Videographer, Yusur Al-Bahrani

For All People: Culture Shock Toronto

Then watch as Culture Shock Toronto hip-hop artists break through the hubbub, revealing the power and beauty of urban dance culture. Spot the Square Circle juggler introducing Mark Cullen, an honoured guest who juggles many hats in the gardening world of which Green Thumbs is a part.

emergence also riffs on the intersection between creativity and commerce that has always been part of night market tradition. Bid on silent auction items generously donated by supporters of our 2017 Kids Growing season. There’s a family dinner at home with a roast chicken and sides from Chef Alex Tso’s Dundas Park Kitchen, plus a couple of Beau’s Lug Tread Lagers for the adults. Or consider a trip to Wellington County for a guided tour of Mapleton’s Organic Dairy Farm and lunch at the Farm restaurant.