The number eight is auspicious in many Asian cultures – a sign for luck, prosperity and growth. So it makes sense that the organizers of the Pan-Asian Waterfront Night Market, now in its eighth year, are taking the three-day event to the next level, with a bigger venue, new programming and a second market outside the city.

From August 11 to 13, the market takes place at the Hearn Generating Station, a decommissioned power plant in the Port Lands that previously hosted Luminato Festival. The Hearn is about a two-minute drive from its previous location – the parking lot next to T&T Supermarket. Admission to the night market is still free.

“The difference with the Hearn is that we have 2 million square feet of space, around four times the size of the parking lot,” says Kevin Yee, one of the market’s co-founders. “One of the biggest issues we’ve also had is weather. When it’s bad, it just destroys the event.”

The Waterfront Night Market will have both indoor and outdoor areas. Food vendors who cook using a grill or barbecue will still be relegated outside. There will also be a “stinky tofu village” to group all the stronger-smelling foods. (More on night market eats here.)

The indoor space will house a new marketplace featuring around 80 local artisans. Not all of them fit the event’s pan-Asian theme, but they include artists, photographers, jewellery makers, crafters and more.

“On Saturday, we’re adding an all-out automotive lifestyle show, Reved, which will have cars, bikes and off-roaders that people can test drive,” Yee adds, noting that this year’s title sponsor is Ford. “We’re also doing fireworks on Saturday night.”

Other components include a kids zone and live entertainment, including an unannounced headliner who will help promote a new night market in Niagara Falls. Yee expects attendance to peak at 120,000 people over the three days.

“The good thing about the Hearn is we have the capability to park over 2,000 cars on site,” he says.

There will also be shuttle buses helping people get around the Port Lands area to the Hearn, and the festival is in talks with the TTC to have a bus route redirected to the Hearn just for the weekend.

Yee says that the Waterfront Night Market plans on staying at the Hearn for a while. In the future, he envisions using the building’s waterfront location to add a boat show.

michelled@nowtoronto.com | @michdas