Area 506 Music Festival Moving To Coast Guard Site This Summer
SAINT JOHN – The Area 506 summer music festival is moving to the Coast Guard site this year because of the Port Saint John plans to use the Long Wharf site for other commercial activities.
The proposed location change was on the agenda for the Common Council meeting Tuesday night. Staff recommended the city proceed with the plan to lease the city-owned land to the event organizers, which council approved in open session.
“This location represents the top waterfront development opportunity in Atlantic Canada and we couldn’t be happier to take advantage of the space,” said Ray Gracewood, Area 506 founder and chairperson, in a release. “We couldn’t be happier with how supportive and accommodating the city has been to help bring the Area 506 energy and vibrancy to the core of Uptown Saint John.”
Saint John mayor Don Darling said the move will make a great even better with the more central location.
“[The] restaurants, bars, hotels, every Air BNB, and every couch is going to be full here in the uptown area,” said Darling at the council session Tuesday. “The fact that it’s going to be right down at the doorstep here is a great beta-test of the site until such time as we build something even bigger and greater on it. A challenge has turned into a great outcome and I can’t wait to be down there myself and celebrating with everyone else on the New Brunswick Day long weekend.”
Councillor David Hickey, participating in his first session since winning a recent byelection to represent Ward 3, said he was pleased to see the city address the festival’s space issue when Long Wharf was no longer available.
“It’s a really good example of the synergy between a board like Area 506 and the city [moving] proactively to make sure we’re addressing the space issue,” said Hickey. “I’m super excited to be able to walk down from Princess Street and enjoy the weekend.”
It’s the second waterfront event that’s been moved from Long Wharf because the Port needs the site for another use. The popular Loyalist City Ribfest will now take place June 13-16 at the Lower Cove Terminal, located just past Port Saint John’s Diamond Jubilee cruise ship terminal on Water Street.
Paula Copeland, director of communications and corporate social responsibility at Port Saint John, said they gave Area 506 ample notice about the move and helped them in any way they could to make the transition to a new site.
“We had given Area 506 a heads up back in February that we had an opportunity for business there this summer that would impact their event location,” said Copeland in an e-mail. “We also worked with them to mitigate issues that arose in the move.”
Between May and September, Copeland said wind turbine parts for two different renewable energy projects will be moving through the terminal requiring a large laydown area during their arrival and transit phases. There are four shipments coming in that period, the first arrived Monday.
The draft site plan for Area 506 indicates that the second Coast Guard building will be demolished in the time for the festival.
The fourth-annual festival will take place over three days this year. The Friday, Aug. 2 lineup will feature Joel Plaskett Emergency, Wintersleep, FM Berlin, and The Backstays.
Saturday’s Main Stage lineup will see Interpol, Matthew Good, Dear Rouge, The Motorleague, Christina Martin, Jamie Comeau & the Crooked Teeth, and Kylie Fox taking the stage.
The festival will close that Sunday with City and Colour, Tokyo Police Club, Rural Alberta Advantage, The Galpines, Les Paiens, Bleum, and The Crossroad Devils.
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