Two night markets could go head-to-head in Richmond next spring.
The founder of the original Richmond Night Market, Raymond Cheung, has applied to city hall re-open his market by the middle arm of the Fraser River, just southwest of the River Rock Casino.
Cheung last hosted the famous market back in 2007, before calling it quits at the Vulcan Way location because he couldn't get a long-term lease for the site.
A feud then erupted the following year when Paul Cheung, of Lions Communications, stepped in to fill the void. He organized a similar night market on the same site, using a similar name: the Summer Night Market.
A lengthy legal battle between the pair ended in January 2010 when Lions Communications was fined $15,000 for using the previous night market's copyrighted material, such as the market layout.
But the federal court stopped short of forbidding them from using the name Summer Night Market.
Raymond Cheung, president of Target Event Production, last Friday submitted an application to the city for permission to open a re-envisioned market next May in a brand new location.
If approved by city council, the original Richmond Night Market will open on an 18-acre site at the north end of No. 3 and River roads a property known as Duck Island.
With council's blessing, (the) market will be bigger and more spectacular than ever, claimed Cheung.
The new property is more than twice the size of the previous location and, after a four-year hiatus, Cheung said he's eager to build upon what he started more than a decade ago.
