Seaport Farmer’s Market Moving To Former Cunard Centre

HALIFAX—The Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market is moving again.

In July, the market will set up shop in a space the Halifax Port Authority calls “Pavilion 23” but that many Haligonians still think of as the Cunard Centre.

The move comes a little more than a year after the market was shuffled from its long-time home on the Halifax waterfront to a nearby cruise berth. It’s also happening as the Halifax Port Authority makes major changes to its waterfront real estate.

The farmers’ market was booted from its former home last year to make way for The PIER—the Port’s new “living lab” for the transportation industry.

RELATED: Halifax Farmers’ Market Moved To Make Way For Transportation ‘Living Lab’

At the time, Port spokesperson Lane Farguson told Huddle the market’s former home had long been “underutilized” and, because of Covid-19 health restrictions, the market wasn’t “viable” in the space anymore.

So it moved the market to Pavilion 22, which is the primary berth for cruise ship traffic in the summer. The plan was for the market to use the new space during the winter and transition outside once cruise traffic returned.

But then, last fall, The Port shut down the Cunard Centre after its tenant, CR Hospitality Group, decided to stop operating it.

At 45,000 square feet, the Cunard Centre was one of the biggest event spaces in Halifax. However, Farguson said it had been 18 months since any events took place there.

RELATED: Halifax Port Authority Pulls Plug On Cunard Centre

Now, the Port wants to use part of that space as a new home for the Seaport Farmers’ Market. In a news release, the Port’s real estate director says the space makes more sense as a home for the market and that vendors are happy with the decision.

“When the space became available, we decided to look at whether that would work for our vendors … and overwhelmingly, our vendors were supportive of this idea,” he said.

Nick Garside said the Port is now designing a space that will work for the market on weekends and be used as an event space during the week.

The new Seaport Farmers’ Market will occupy about 18,000 square feet in the west end of Pavilion 23. That’s about the same amount of space it’s currently using at Pavilion 22.

The new market location will open in July and all current vendors will be offered a space. Port spokesperson Emily Richardson says there is no pre-determined number of vendors for the new location “because the number of available spaces will continue to evolve with Covid restrictions.”

Until its July relocation, the market will stay in its temporary home and share the space with cruise operations, which begin on April 11.

The Port Authority says it wants to fill up the rest of the former Cunard Centre with tenants “that complement the Halifax Seaport district.”

It also plans to bring cruise vendors back to Pavilion 22 for the summer and fall.

Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].

Editor’s Note: This story was last updated March 10, at 12:10 p.m.