Hawker 88 Night Market is returning to Queen Victoria Market this April for five weeks of Asian street food, entertainment and good vibes, and it's free.
Running every Wednesday from 8 April to 6 May, Hawker 88 Night Market takes over Queen Victoria Market’s open-air sheds and transforms them into a hawker-style precinct buzzing with food, drinks and live entertainment. Each week has its own cultural focus, kicking off with a Pan-Asian Night on 8 April and wrapping up with a Yin and Yang Finale on 6 May.
Expect lion dances, taiko drumming, K-pop performances, Bollywood dance workshops, Squid Games-style challenges and a closing-night cosplay parade.
Over 25 traders are lined up across the five weeks, covering just about every corner of Asia.
Queen Victoria Hawker 88 Night Market
- Where: Queen Victoria Market
- When: Wednesdays, 8 April to 6 May, 5pm to 10pm
- Cost: Free entry
Weekly themes break down like this:
- 8 April, Pan-Asian Night: lion dances, cultural performances and modern dance
- 15 April, Southeast Asia Night: flavours and traditions from Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond
- 22 April, Rising Sun Night: Japanese-inspired evening with taiko drumming and martial arts
- 29 April, Islands of Asia: celebrating island cultures from the Philippines to Sri Lanka
- 6 May, Yin and Yang Finale: high-energy closing night blending traditional and contemporary performances
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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On the food front, Miss Wonton is doing crispy wonton tacos loaded with BBQ chicken, pork and soft-shell crab.
Dragon Joe’s laksa bowls come rich and aromatic with prawn, pork belly, duck and vegan options all on the table. Durian King is there for the adventurous with premium Musang King, Red Prawn and Black Thorn, while Min Min Gyoza brings handmade pork and vegan gyoza and MeowMeow Matcha handles dessert duties with matchamisu, matcha affogato and hojicha lattes.
Drinks are handled by the Lucky Horse Bar, with a cocktail list leaning into Asian-inspired flavours. There’s a Pineapple SakeRita blending sake, tequila, pineapple and lime, a Lychee Soju Spritz with gin, soju and a splash of blue curaçao, and a Milo Dinosaur mocktail for those keeping it non-alcoholic.
Beyond eating and drinking, there’s a Korean-style photobooth, vintage Japanese kimonos and textiles, custom keychain and bag making, and locally made 3D printed toys and souvenirs. Trading card fans will want to check out CARDCORE’s weekly pop-up, which from week two onwards also pulls in a rotating display of Japanese-style cars.
Five Wednesdays isn’t a lot of time, but free entry and a different cultural programme each week makes a pretty strong case for turning it into a regular midweek outing.
For more information, head here.
