Delhi’s maiden Night Bazaar to come up in Connaught Place parking lots: NDMC

New Delhi: Following the global nightlife trends, Delhi’s NDMC Smart City is all set to launch its maiden ‘Night Bazaar’ in Connaught Place parking lots before March-end, offering a flea market experience matching Thailand’s Chatuchak or Canada’s Richmond Night Market, an official said on Sunday.

“The groundwork is complete and the NDMC Night Bazaar will be thrown open within FY 2025-26. The shoppers will be able enjoy the experience till 1 a.m.,” an NDMC official said.

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Chairperson Keshav Chandra and Vice-Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal, while presenting the annual Budget, reiterated the civic agency’s commitment to transformation of the urban infrastructure, aligning with Vision@2047 and future-ready needs.

The Night Bazaar will be a big leap in the national capital’s aspiration to create global standard spaces and offer a better quality of life, including an elevated, relaxed and safe pedestrianised shopping experience in the central business district till late night.

With an eye on attracting a large number of tourists, the NDMC’s blueprint for launching the city’s first Night Bazaar draws inspiration from several other global hotspots including Taman Connaught Night Market, Malaysia; Marrakech Night Market, Morocco; Forodhani Gardens Night Market, Tanzania; Huaxi Street Night Market, Taiwan; Temple Street Night Market, Hong Kong; and Bugis Street Market, Singapore.

The Night Bazaar concept has been in the air for nearly more than a decade in Delhi with earlier attempts by city planners and administrators to try the experiment at the Dilli Haat in INA or in south Delhi’s Nehru Place.

At one stage, the abandoned Super Bazar building in Connaught Circus was also considered as Night Bazaar destination but it failed to make the cut, considering the global practice of flea markets spread on ground level for night shoppers.

The NDMC’s parking lots in Connaught Place offer the ideal space for the purpose, an official said.

There will be no permission for constructing permanent structures in the parking lots which were recently shortlisted as the ideal location for a Night Bazaar with dozens of tents and fabric canopies, the official added.

After the Connaught Place parking lots were identified for the Night Bazaar, the civic agency did not renew the contract of private vendors for managing the lots with the plan to convert some of these into makeshift midnight shopping avenues.

The officials of the NDMC Smart City hope the Night Bazaar concept will also benefit from the Delhi government’s recent notification to work at shops and commercial establishments in night shifts too.

The provision came into effect with modification in the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act, 1954.

The Connaught Place Night Bazaar is also expected to improve the civic agency’s revenue and promote local trade and business, encouraging better commercial exploitation of its assets, a priority underscored by NDMC Chairperson Keshav Chandra for the Smart City team.

IANS