Used shipping containers will be turned into 'vendor village' on Saint John, N.B., waterfront
The stage is being set for a new development along the Saint John, N.B., waterfront from the team behind the Area 506 music festival, which would see shipping containers repurposed into a permanent vendor village.
The property, owned by the Port of Saint John, is located alongside the Marco Polo cruise ship terminal on Water Street – it was formerly being used as a parking lot – and will soon be the site more than 60 shipping containers.
"The idea is really starting to become a reality," says Area 506 logistics and operations director Darcy Leblanc. "The ground is breaking for all the infrastructure that has to happen underground – all the power and electrical."
It's a familiar concept for those who have attended the Area 506 music festival – container villages have been part of the programming since its inception back in 2016.
"The shipping container itself is such a critical part of the DNA of Area 506," says Area 506 founder and chairperson Ray Gracewood. "I think right here on the Saint John waterfront, being a port city, it's always been the thing that has set us up as a different kind of event."
They're now accepting expressions of interest for vendors for the site and Gracewood says when it comes to what type – they're casting as "wide a net as possible" and looking for a diverse range.
"Our mandate is to make sure we're populated enough with local products," he says, "so specifically New Brunswick and Maritime-based products – but also national retailers, services, local arts and crafts, galleries … also food and beverage is a big one for us."
The container village is expected to open in June of next year, and organizers say the idea is to mirror the local cruise ship schedules.
"It's going to be something exciting for the cruise ship passengers to come and see as they embark off the cruise," says Leblanc. "Tourists and our local community really have not had a chance to really visit and experience something like this."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.