Excitement grows for opening of Area 506 container village in Saint John
With more than thirty modified shipping containers now set up along the uptown waterfront, and more set to arrive soon, the Area 506 container village is starting to take shape.
The container village, which will include retail shops, a 120-foot long graffiti alley, a waterfront beer garden, stage, and more, is slated to open to the public next month – the culmination of a project that’s been a year and a half in the making.
“We started our infrastructure build last fall in terms of the undergrounds, the next step was just last weekend where we brought in most of our shipping containers,” says Area 506 founder Ray Gracewood.
“The last two months or so we’ve been focused on creating the retail containers, so that’s the welding work, the electrical work, the carpentry work – all the things that need to happen before the shipping containers get on site.”
The shipping container village concept will be familiar to Area 506 festival-goers, but this time it won’t be dismantled when the concert series is done.
“We always had anticipated six years ago to say wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a permanent home where we could really lean in and really create an opportunity not just for people from Saint John but also the province,” says Terry Wagner, director of partner success. “And for us to be really proud of where we’re from.”
The new container village will open just in time for the arrival of the Oasis of the Seas on June 8 – a cruise ship that has a passenger capacity of 5400 people.
“We’ll have an open house that first week as well,” says Wagner. “And we’ve just announced our first concert in our waterfront concert series happening with July Talk on June 11.”
There will be 54 containers in total.
“At the end of the day I think it’s a special and unique property for the Saint John waterfront,” adds Gracewood.
“I think it’s very specific to this area being a port city, and I think it’s going to be a really unique experience for people to come and visit.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
'It's disgusting': Quebec minister reacts after body of boy, 14, found near Hells Angels hideout
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Missing six-year-old boy disappeared after school breakfast program: Manitoba RCMP
Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.
Woman dead, toddler uninjured following B.C. police shooting, watchdog says
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player with 50 homers, 50 stolen bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Francois Legault wants the Trudeau government to fall
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.