The Night Market at QVM — Local services in Melbourne

The QVM Winter Night Market is seasonal that runs for about 2 months and only on Wednesday nights. A carnival like atmosphere occupying the lots by the daytime operators. Most of the food & drinks are overpriced. Furthermore does not tastes as good as the day market fare. The A$22 Spanish seafood paella scores a 6/10 - rice was not filly cooked. The fried Calamari 8/10, tender, cost A$19 and A$2 for the garlic aioli dip. The A$22 African barbecue beef was lean & chewy, lacks taste, so scores only 4/10 (not a repeat), the hot sauce is very hot so be careful when adding, there is no side dish. The Australian Roasted Organic Chestnut scores the best at 9.5/10 👍🏼😃 at A$10 for minimum 300 gram - highly recommended for chestnuts fans 😊. The soft drinks at A$5 per 500 ml PET bottle. The A$22 Clam Chowder scored 4/10, not a repeat, watery, starchy, tiny clams, tasted so-so as it rather salty. There are 2 soups operators. This one is under the canopy. Not the one that is called Dave’s Kitchen where hotdogs are sold - did not try.

The Queen Victoria Winter Night Market is a one-off visit just to experience it. Long snaky lines from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Carnival like with street magic performance, fire eater performance & a female stilt walker. Frankly overpriced & food did not impress for another visit. Maybe they can find...

Night Market was good market.

Lowkey was going into it in a bad mood as i hate crowds and the traffic was just an adequate experience. Then i walked into market and it was like “hallelujahhhh” the decorations really stood out had me feeling like i was in winter wonderland. The crowds were mid at times and poor at times, if you go your better off standing in a secluded area to the side of crowds (pro tip)

First thing my gang group decided to get was the mald wine and what a mistake that was as i had not eaten a morsel in what had felt like forever, felt like i was drinking poison (i had good advice from friend on how to drink). Anyway eventually we got food the arancini and calamari was great lowk best off splitting up for clues and coming back together (as in split up and get all different dishes to share)

Also saw some strange sightings, saw Ronaldo CR7 lookalike, saw Beetlejuice and strange witch using stilts, shiiii i may have even seen RE4 merchant (iykyk)

Honestly there is so many options and variety that once you leave you will be thinking about going back to get that other thing you missed.

If you are able to push past the traffic, push past the terrible crowds then you got yourself a good treat atleast trying once .

Thank you...

Visited QVNM on 28/06/2023 with my two daughters 12 & 18 and 2 out-of-town visitors. Arrived at around 19:00 hrs.

What a nightmare of an experience. And by the looks on the faces of others, we were not alone in our thoughts.

• Security was a joke. • Zero crowd control management. • Massive queues, some people I spoke to had been waiting an hour already. • Extortionate prices. • Pickpocket paradise. • Catastrophe waiting to happen.

One day, there is going to be a major incident here or just someone playing a prank, and many people will be crushed and die in the inevitable stampede.

Whomever is responsible for this unorganised abomination quaintly referred to as a 'night market' needs their head read.

Cannot for the life of me understand why it needs to be crammed into a 5-hour event once a week. Why not nightly for the duration?

We left after about an hour. Couldn't buy any food, the queues for most things, were too long. The opportunity cost of lost custom for businesses must be huge.

We will certainly never go back again, and I'm sure nor will many other people. The only repeat visitors week after week will be the pickpocket gangs.

Don't take your children if you do decide to...