Saint John sets itself apart through its distinctive culture. A mix of geographic, historic and social aspects have created what is truly a unique place. You will never find another city quite like it. Our culture is showcased to the world when cruise ship passengers visit the Loyalist Plaza Market featuring homemade crafts and goods. Saint John is still evolving however, and is capitalizing on its unique character to contribute to its cultural assets. These changes are chronicled through the city’s art galleries, the music scene and a general positive attitude towards cultural development.

This claim of change is not some unfounded observation. It is based in fact. The Canadian Council of Learning recently performed a nationwide study, of what they describe as a composite learning index. It is a measure of lifelong learning, learning that has been found to be critical to a person’s success. This learning index is a composite measure of learning to know, to be, and to live together. Saint John ranks in the top five most improved communities in Canada for this score. Saint John’s 2006 score was 61, however it has shown a major increase and the score currently sits at 74 (May 2008).

View the Study

Music

The music scene in Saint John has always been strong. Major artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Snoop Dogg have performed here. On the other end of the musical spectrum are the regular performances of Symphony New Brunswick at the Imperial Theatre. Major acts usually play Harbour Station, or the Imperial Theatre, however the local scene has a unique character of its own. Smaller acts tend to perform at the city’s bars and restaurants. Salty Jam is one of the many festivals Saint John hosts, and it manages to bring many visitors to city’s downtown. Local acts can also go for the big time and record an album at one of the city’s many recording studios.

Links

Life On Your Terms: Arts & Culture

giraffecycle.com
Saint John Music Scene Resource

Imperial Theatre

Symphony NB

Film

As New Brunswick’s film and television industry grows, more of our stories, stars, and scenery are making it to the silver screen.

Since the filming of award-winning Children of a Lesser God in 1986, much of the province’s $40 million dollar a year industry has been based in Saint John. With an experienced crew, an excellent labour tax credit program (40%), no permit fees, as well as other financial incentives offered by New Brunswick Film, Saint John is ideal for any production. Saint John has welcomed feature productions, MOWs, documentaries, commercials and series productions such as The Canadian Antiques Roadshow.

Breathtaking seascapes, metropolitan city atmosphere, historic 19th century architecture, pristine waterways, untouched wilderness, open countryside, and pastoral panoramas are literally at your back door. Saint John has beautiful and distinct seasons and a moderate climate to make filming year-round a possibility.

Enterprise Saint John is eager to work with you during preliminary location scouting and pre-production, will act as a liaison between local businesses and government, and can assist in finding suitable production and studio space, accommodations and travel arrangements.

Saint John welcomes filmmakers from far and wide to help build our film industry. We also boast schools in the city that teach the art of filmmaking, so that we can have filmmakers of our own. It is local artists that can stabilize the industry and truly create a filmmaking scene which could lead to transforming the industry within Saint John. Growth for the industry is dependant on non-sporadic filmmaking taking place within the community. While larger films are welcome, with local independent films, the industry will have a foundation on which to grow.

Links

Life On Your Terms: Film

IMDb
Titles with locations including Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Atlantica Centre for the Arts

New Brunswick Film