Moonlight Bazaar Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Moon Landing
SAINT JOHN– A giant moon will once again light up Canterbury Street in uptown Saint John next weekend for the third annual Moonlight Bazaar.
The much-anticipated street festival hosted by Civilized is taking place this year on Saturday, July 20, the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, and organizers have some new things planned to help celebrate.
“Well, the stars really aligned for us,” said Civilized publisher Derek Riedle via email. “We were reviewing summer dates for this year’s event and noticed that the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing fell on a Saturday in July. We just knew that we had to host this year’s event on that date.”
This year’s event will feature Telescopic viewings of the night sky by Astronomy by the Bay; Moosehead Breweries’ new, custom-built shipping container bar; and clips from the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
The event will also have the official unveiling of a permanent art installation, sponsored by Commercial Properties Limited and Stewart McKelvey, by world-renowned artist Dodo Ose. The new mural will be on the retaining wall at the corner of Canterbury and Princess streets.
“We bring people, arts and culture together and we’re always looking for ways to make a lasting impact right here in our hometown. This year’s art installation is a perfect, creative way to do that,” said Riedle. “We’re turning this idea into a reality and partnering with Dodo, a world-renowned artist, to create a mural here we can all enjoy for years to come.”
Like in previous years, the Bazaar will feature vendors, mystical practitioners like fortune tellers, reiki healers and tarot card readers. There will also be international cuisine from places like India, Thailand, Haiti and Syria; an oyster bar with live shucking; a bar serving Stoli and Lindeman’s products; and fire dancing. Moonlight Bazaar merchandise will also be sold.
Last summer’s event drew around 8,000 people and this year organizers are expecting even more. In anticipation of this, Riedle said the event site has been expanded to improve flow and to accommodate more people and activities.
“We’re always looking to expand upon this event and give people a unique experience each year,” he said. “We’ve re-mapped our event set-up to accommodate more vendors, more performances, more bars, more bodies and of course – more surprises. We want the atmosphere of a packed kitchen party, but on the street.”
The Moonlight Bazaar begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to those 19 years of age and older.