The Temple Street night market opened on Friday, turning the area famous for cheap merchandise and fortune-telling into one with food stalls and photo spots.

The night market, which will last six months, is part of the government’s Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign to spice up the city’s nightlife and boost the economy.

“We are very confident that the number of visitors, both local and international and from the mainland, would increase to Temple Street, particularly as a night spot for Hong Kong,” said Dane Cheng, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s executive director.

“We would like to create a better ambience for our visitors, particularly in the evening.”

Located in Yau Ma Tei, the market has about 30 food and snacks stalls, offering local delicacies such as fish balls, siu mai, and imitation shark’s fin soup, as well as a variety of Asian cuisines.

Sunita, who runs a Nepalese food stall here, said she's operating her business outside of its usual location in the same area for the first time.

“I’m a little bit nervous, but let see how it goes,” she said. “During Covid, we lost [a lot of] business… To have this kind of opportunity, I hope that we will have more tourists as well as locals.”

A vendor selling Taiwanese food, surnamed Lee, said he’s optimistic about his business.

“Temple Street is usually for tourists, and a rather historical street… [Having the night market] is like mixing the new with the old,” he said.

Among the visitors to the market on its first night was David from Canada, who said the market was “extremely busy”.

“It’s pretty crazy here tonight,” he told RTHK. “It’s nice to see the energy at the street [with] everybody out, having a good time on a Friday night.”

A local resident, Abhishek, said the Temple Street market is different from those in mainland China.

“They have much bigger night markets, like food markets. This is pretty small, but here, it has variety,” he said.

“I think it is okay for Hong Kong, and this is something new.”

Decorations, art installations and displays also feature prominently in the night market.

The Tourism Board also announced that as part of the Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign, the opening hours of the nearby Yau Ma Tei Tin Hau Temple – a declared monument – will be extended to 10pm on Saturdays.