Saint John Waterfront Container Village highlights long weekend events in Maritimes

First at five we kick off Victoria Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer season.

The official start of the season is still a little over a month away but for many Maritimers the Victoria Day long weekend in May marks the unofficial kickoff to summer.

“I’m starting it off with a little tour of our 506 area which just opened up,” Saint John resident Steph Kuntz tells CTV. “I think just celebrating the fact that the weather has changed. It’s been a long winter, and its nice to have the spring back with us.”

Area 506 is a popular waterfront container village along the Saint John harbour. It opens for it’s fourth season during the long weekend.

“The village has become a bit of a community gathering place,” says Area 506 founder Ray Gracewood. “Whether that’s to come down with a group of friends for a drink or do some shopping, a little bit of a walk around, or come down for shows. Over the last four years, I think it’s really built up into something that has been special.”

“The village,” will be open Wednesday through Sunday during the summer months. Programming is scheduled for over 100 days of entertainment including a DJ dance party Friday to begin the long weekend festivities and a concert Saturday night featuring The Trews.

The season is highlighted by a pair of mid-summer music festivals; The Boxcar Country Festival on July 26 and 27, and the Area 506 Festival the weekend after.

Gracewood says the space has also become an “incubator” for small businesses. He said there are several new faces moving into the vendor containers this year as vendors from past years vacate to open full-time storefronts.

“Every year there’s lots of new stuff to come in and check out,” Gracewood says. “We try to make it feel fresh for everybody coming in for the first time.”

The long weekend offers a range of events and tourism openings to kickoff the unofficial start to Maritime summer.

Paddlefest takes over the seaside community of Saint Andrews, N.B., Friday. The four-day music and nature festival combines art, music and environmental activities.

For a laid back itinerary, the Sussex Drive-In has a full weekend of movies planned, including a triple feature playing back-to-back-to-back on Sunday.

In Halifax and Dartmouth the streets will be filled with runners. The Blue Nose Marathon will wind its way through the city Sunday morning. The kid’s race and the five kilometre run will be held Saturday.

After a picture-perfect week for much of the region, the forecast could turn for the long weekend. Maritimeres may want to have an umbrella handy in the days ahead.

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