Today we were at the kickoff of Metropolis at Metrotown’s annual summer time market. This is the event’s second year, after seeing much success during 2024’s inaugural launch.
This is Summer Market at the Met, part of the Met’s Explore the Galaxy summer celebration, running from July 3rd to 6th, 2025. The outdoor event promises food, entertainment, and family fun.
Running from 2pm to 10pm across all three days, it offers those who like the atmosphere of an outdoor night market, without having to drive out to North Vancouver or brave Richmond’s crowded one. Easy to get to with plenty of parking, and located in Burnaby, right by the mall’s Outdoor South Plaza, by Chipotle.
The market is free to enter and offers access to 15 food vendors, all of which are based out of Burnaby. The selection is a curated collection of international cuisines.
(As taken from the press release) “From authentic Taiwanese dishes at Typhoon BBT Café to Japanese-style creations at Wakwakburger and Mexican street eats at Ponchos Tacos, the selection of entrees is out of this world. Delectable Filipino desserts await at Cake It Easy, while Crema Ice Cream delights with its Asian-inspired frozen treats. Thirst-quenching sips are available from vendors like Chaiwagon, which pours traditional Indian chai and refreshing mango shakes”.
I will only be reporting on what I tried, which was across 4 different vendors.
One of the most fulsome offerings is from Butcher’s Block, where you can customize your own barbecue box. Smoked meats and familiar sides. I went for my go-to of beef brisket and ribs with a side of gooey and cheesy, soft noodles Mac and cheese, and a slice of slightly sweet cornbread. I was impressed by how soft the meat was, despite it being kept under heated trays.
Hello! Tanghulu offers more than the traditional fruit covered in candied sugar, despite what their name suggests.
Although I try their tanghulu, which uses green and red grapes, instead of the more commonly seen whole strawberries and orange segments. Each grape was an even blend of juicy and crunchy, but a little too sweet given the natural sugars of the grapes, on top of the hardened layer of sugar over them.
The show-stopper was their giant Ebi Senbei. This is a record size and shaped prawn rice cracker made with a whole BC spot prawn pressed at its centre. This was such a unique presentation. I am a big fan of shrimp crackers as a snack, so was already a fan of this. I liked the wispy thickness and its wafer like crunch. I just wanted it to have more seasoning and salt for a flavour you would want to pair with a drink.
They also do Corn dogs on a stick, available in the classic ketchup and mustard drizzle or japa style. I choose the latter and the breaded wiener was dressed in mayo, seaweed flakes, and furikake seasoning. It was tasty with the sweet kewpie mayo, and umami from the seaweed. This was an improve on regular corn
dogs.
One of my favourite grocery stores to shop at, T&T brought their cooked food options out of the mall and into this market. They had a refrigeration unit with pre-made sweet and savoury options. From $4-7 it was all affordable, casual street eats.
I went for their Hawaii Spam Musubi. A set of two, where one included an egg, and the other was topped with grilled eel. Both had soft rice with spam the star.
I was amused by the unexpected Tea Flavored Egg. Five in an order, I didn’t realize this was a popular snack as is. Easy to crack, but a little messy, be warned that there may be some tea still within the shell. It had a smokey savoury quality to as a result.
And for dessert I went with the Mango Coconut Pandan Pudding, a striking one cup treat in both look and taste. It includes silky pudding and fresh mango chunks.
Then for a more travel ready snack Gary’s Kettlecorn has small, medium, and large bags of popcorn in a variety of flavours to pick from.
I was drawn to the classic caramel and could not pass up the unique combo of both apple and caramel with green coloured kernels.
As visitors wander the market there are live music performances, dancing aliens and spacemen, plus space themed photo ops with blow up characters and sparkly tinsel.
The former includes “SMASH!, an electrifying fusion of music, theatre, and street percussion. In this pulse-pounding spectacle, performers transform everyday items – including trash cans and water bottles – into instruments, contributing to an unforgettable experience that leaves a supersonic impression.”
There was family-friendly activities like balloon twisting, face painting, and caricature drawing.
Not here today when I visited, but show-runners also promise “dazzling fire shows and mesmerizing juggling acts”. There is also a Roaming Selfie Ring Photo Booth, where guests can capture the perfect selfie with a built-in ring light, then instantly transfer it to their phone.
Other “Explore the Galaxy” themed activations running all summer long from June 16th to September 1st includes the following. (As taken from the press release.
Galactic Displays (June 16 – September 1)
Stardust has blanketed the Met with captivating galactic displays by Lazy Wizard Design around every corner. Immersive floor decals create the illusion of ground splitting beneath your feet, while QR codes unlock fascinating insights about space and extraterrestrial flora. Photo opportunities are plentiful, with UFOs, astronauts, and aliens popping up throughout the shopping centre. On the Upper Level, near Zara, visitors can hop from planet to planet across a solar system design embedded in the floor. The celestial journey continues in the Grand Court, where more planetary displays can be found, with the biggest measuring 4.5 metres wide.
Summer Passport (June 16 – September 1)
Visitors can pop by Guest Services to obtain a Summer Passport, which encourages exploration of the various Summer at the Met activations while collecting stamps along the way. After gathering seven stamps, guests receive a surprise gift, while those who collect 10 stamps are eligible for a chance to win a prize valued at $100.
Summer Dance Party (July 19 from 12pm – 2pm)
Summer Dance Party features a roving, space-themed soirée that winds through the Met, stopping at various locations so shoppers can join the action. A mobile DJ keeps the music pulsing, while astronauts and aliens hand out prizes as they groove to the beats.
Starlab (July 26 and 27, 12pm – 3pm)
On select days, the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre will present an engaging educational experience called the Starlab – a pop-up planetarium where visitors can enjoy a 10-minute session packed with fascinating facts about space.
Summer at the Met takes over Metropolis at Metrotown from June 16 to September 1, 2025. Summer Market at the Met takes place July 3 from 2pm – 10pm; July 4 from 2pm – 10pm; July 5 from 2pm – 10pm; and July 6 from 2pm – 8pm.
For more information, visit www.metropolisatmetrotown.com.
