Entered by: Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency

In 2016, a passionate team of locals embarked on a journey to start a music festival, AREA 506, for New Brunswick Day weekend. Their initial venue was the Saint John waterfront, a challenging landscape filled with plain asphalt, stark cement, and industrial machinery. Despite these hurdles, the team was determined to rejuvenate and redefine the space. As Ray Gracewood, one of the organisers, reminisced, "Our vision was to shape the waterfront's identity, making it the heart of the New Brunswick Day celebrations."

Their eureka moment came when they decided to repurpose the ubiquitous shipping containers dotting the waterfront in a unique way. These containers were transformed into vibrant hubs for vendors and food operators, creating a lively portside village for festival attendees. Gracewood proudly noted, "This approach was not just distinctive to Saint John, but it also perfectly complemented the waterfront's essence. It offered a dynamic platform for local vendors and redefined our site layout, allowing visitors a captivating space to meander and discover."