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Credit: TimberTop Adventures
A beautiful seaside city, Saint John is a stunning example of the Maritime’s unique culture. The city is mostly walkable and tourist-friendly, and comes alive during the summer. Along with many summer festivals in the city, there are many locations close by that you can explore or just visit to get away from city life.
So, get ready for summer with our list of 45 things to do in and around (1 hr) Saint John.
1. TimberTop Adventures
TimberTop Adventures, in Dominion Park, is one of the country’s largest treetop aerial adventure parks with over 115 creative obstacles curated from around the world and placed in 12 different courses in the trees!
2. Food Truck Weekends at East Point Shopping
Each weekend from June until the end of September, the parking lot at East Point Shopping becomes filled with the best food trucks in Saint John. Food Truck Weekends at East Point Shopping is the perfect place to get lunch, dinner, or snack when you are at the East Point Shopping Centre
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3. RibFest 506
Kick off summer with finger lickin’ good ribs! There will be fun and family entertainment on site as well as fan favourites pitmasters such as Crabby’s BBQ Shack, Fat Boys BBQ, Camp 31, and Billy Bones. June 12 – 15, 2025
4. East Coast Games
East Coast Games is the largest multi-sport tournament in Saint John since the 1985 Canada Games. The games started in 2015 with 7 sports, and have grown to over 20 sports with over 2500 athletes completing. The games have participants of all ages competing in a variety of team and individual sporting events, as well as participating in a coaching symposium. All East Coast Games events and competitions are free of charge. June 20 – 22, 2025
9. Haunted Saint John Tours
Meet the Mysterious Mistress Grant and tour the most haunted places in Saint John by taking the Haunted Saint John Tour. This unusual tour is available once a week during the summer and fall. When you take this tour, you will learn the history of each location and hear accounts of the paranormal happenings around the area.
Summer Sounds at Trinity Church Saint John
6. Summer Sounds
Summer Sounds is back again for another season on Mondays from June 9 to August 25, 2025, at Trinity Church in Saint John.
7. Outdoor Adventures with Go Fundy
Go Fundy Events offers guided kayak, bike, and walking tours in Southeast New Brunswick. Their small group tours provide close-up experiences with the landscape, enriched by guides sharing regional history. Custom private tours are also available.
8. Inside Out Nature Centre
Explore one of Canada’s Largest Urban Municipal Parks with a customized day adventure. The Inside Out Nature Centre focuses on creating a great experience for your time outside, no matter your age or ability. A visit to the Nature Centre is the perfect way to spend a summer day.
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9. Rockwood Triathlon by the Bay
Rockwood Triathlon by the Bay is the longest-running triathlon in New Brunswick. As part of East Coast Games, the 2025 run course will showcase the beauty of Lily Lake. June 22, 2025
10. Yoga at the Lake
Join Tracy for a Hatha Yoga class on Mondays at 6 pm at the beautiful Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre by the duck pond. Bring your mat for this 60-minute session. Drop-in donations are accepted. Enjoy a serene evening of yoga at the lake!
11. Super Rad Race ENDURO
Join us for the annual Super RAD Enduro Race at Rockwood Park, Saint John, on July 6, 2025. Held on newly constructed MTB Enduro Trails, this race features multiple timed downhill stages and untimed uphill sections. Categories include U11, U13, U15, Beginner, Sport, and Expert.
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12. Offline Board Game Café
Disconnect from your phone and computer screens and spend some time with family and friends playing a board game. There are over 800 games at the Offline Board Game Café for you to play. They also have snacks and drinks that you can purchase and enjoy during your games.
13. Family Movie Series
Join Wednesday Night Family Movies on the big screen! Stroll through the Village for a treat, then set up your chair or blanket on the grass for a cozy family favorite. The season kicks off June 25, 2025, with Despicable Me 4 and end on August 27, 2025 with Piece by Piece.
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14. Canada Day Waterfront Festival
Celebrate Canada Day with free, family-friendly activities on July 1, 2025. Partnering with AREA 506, the Waterfront Festival features a full lineup of activities, entertainment, live music, and fireworks at 10 p.m.
15. Waterfront Concert Series
The Waterfront Concert Series returns to uptown Saint John with performances by popular Atlantic Canadian artists, including Hawksley Workman, The Grapes of Wrath, Rum Ragged, and more. Concerts are open to all ages, with doors opening at 7 PM.
16. Boxcar Country Music Festival
The Boxcar Country Music Festival returns to Saint John waterfront, July 25-27, featuring The Reklaws, Brett Kissel, and more. Enjoy ticketed evening shows and free, family-friendly activities all weekend. Mark your calendars!
17. Saint John City Market
The Saint John City Market has been operating since the late 1700’s and is the oldest continuing farmer’s market in Canada. If you look upwards, you will see that the ceiling resembles an upturned hull of a ship as a tribute to the city’s shipping industry. The market is open from Monday to Saturday, and has something for everyone.
The 2025 Night Market season will open on June 26 and will continue on the last Thursday of the month from 5-9 pm in July to September, for local food & drinks, crafts, entertainment, and so much more!!
18. Area 506 Festival
Area 506 festival will be held on the Saint John waterfront over the New Brunswick Day long weekend, beginning August 1 to 3, 2025. This year’s lineup includes Broken Social Scene, Alexisonfire, Death from Above 1979, Arkells, Half Moon Run, and MORE!
Area 506 Festival
19. Saint John Police Museum
Meet Constable George who is dressed in a uniform based on police officers in 1849 at the Saint John Police Museum. You can take photos in the 1965 Volkswagen traffic car or the jail cell. The Police Museum makes learning about the history of policing fun and interesting way.
20. Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark
21. Saint John Pride
Join the festivities and celebrate love and diversity from August 8 to 17, 2025, at Saint John Pride.
22. Blueberry Hill Nature Preserve
Blueberry Hill Nature Preserve is 19.8 hectares and covers the easterly shoreline of the St. John River. It is one of the last undeveloped properties in the area, and is home to variety of animal species. There is a trail that will take you around the nature preserve where you can spot animals and plant species.
23. Mispec Beach
Just 15 minutes outside of Saint John is the historic Mispec Park and Mispec Beach. The park was used as a recreation area for servicemen and women during WWII. Mispec Beach is one of the finest sandy beaches on the Bay of Fundy. The beach is unsupervised, so you should always be sure to make note of the tide times.
24. Fundy Sea Shanty Festival
Join us in Fundy-St. Martins for the only festival of its kind in Atlantic Canada, celebrating sailors’ stories and songs from the age of sail. Enjoy food tastings, live performances, workshops, and children’s activities. Set sail from August 8 – 10, 2025!
25. Sea Glass Festival
Celebrate sea glass art and maritime treasures at the annual Sea Glass Festival in the Market Square Atrium. Enjoy over 40 vendors, a special guest speaker, live music, contests, food, and more, all with ocean and beach themes. August 29 – 30, 2025
26. Kingsbrae Garden
Take time and enjoy the 27-acre Kingsbrae Garden and its collection of over 50,000 perennials in many themed gardens. It has been ranked as one of the top 10 gardens in Canada. Along with walking the gardens, you can also play croquet or bocce or grab lunch at the Savour in the Garden restaurant.
27. Carleton Martello Tower
One of nine remaining Martello Towers, small defensive forts built by the British Empire and is a National Historic Site. During your visit, you can explore both the interior and exterior of the Tower and find a reconstruction of a 19th-century barrack room. The Carleton Martello Tower is about half a kilometer from the Reversing Falls.
28. Loyalist House
The Loyalist House was built in 1817 and was originally owned by Thomas Merritt, a British Loyalist. Today, the Loyalist House is filled with authentic 19th-century décor. Explore the house on your own, or tag along with the guided tour.
29. The Canada Games Aquatic Centre
Take a dip at the swimming pool at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, or try one of the over 40 different classes that are offered each week. The centre was built to host the 1985 Canada Summer Games and has an Olympic-sized indoor pool, two leisure pools and two waterslides.
30 Shop for Candy at Freak Lunchbox
Find the weirdest, newest, and classic candies from across the world, along with pop culture items, at Freak Lunchbox in Uptown Saint John. Become a kid at the kid shop and make your mix of penny candies. You are never sure what you are going to find at Freak Lunchbox.
31. Irving Nature Park
A short drive outside of Saint John is the lovely Irving Nature Park. This 600-acre park features amazing views of the Bay of Fundy, a beach, a bog, a salt marsh and a forest. There are approximately 250 different species of birds that stay in the park, so it is a great spot for birdwatchers.
32. Fundy Fringe Festival
Experience the Unexpected at FRINGE, a festival of unforgettable, uncensored, and affordable theatre! Enjoy over 100 shows in 7 days, featuring theatre, dance, comedy, and more. August 19 – 23, 2025
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33. Unity Park Summer Stage Live Music Series
Take in some free live music entertainment from June 18 – September 03 at Unity Park in Saint John.
34. Visit one of Canada’s Prettiest Towns
Cross the St. John River on one of the cable ferries that have been used since the 1900s to visit Gagetown. The town was named one of Canada’s 10 Prettiest Towns by Harrowsmith Country Life. An interesting fact is that Gagetown was the original capital of New Brunswick.
35. Flavors Fest
Join us for Flavors Fest 2025, Grand Bay’s first summer music festival, on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Enjoy free admission and live music from 11 am to 11 pm.
36. Concert in the Common
Gather with friends and family on Thursday evenings at the Rothesay Common Stage to enjoy free outdoor music. The lineup includes many talented local musicians.
37. St. Andrews Blockhouse National Historic Site
St. Andrews Blockhouse National Historic Site harkens back to the War of 1812, when Canada and the USA were not so friendly. The blockhouse was built by the townspeople to protect St. Andrews from the Americans attacks during the war.
38. Fundy National Park
An hour and a half drive east of the city is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in southern New Brunswick. Fundy National Park sprawls out along the Bay of Fundy. During the low tides, you can walk along the muddy crimson beaches.
39. Port City Royal
A unique blend of old and new, the Port City Royal is perfect place to stop for a meal. The menu changes nightly, so there is always something new to try. The dishes are made in small batches using local, seasonal ingredients. Make sure to visit early because they are known to sell out, and make no apologies for that.
40. Sussex Drive-in
Watch a movie under the stars at the only Drive-in Theater in Southern New Brunswick. The Sussex Drive-in is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night from late May to September. You should be sure to look out for the Triple Bills that take place on long weekends, especially if you are looking to get the best deals.
41. Movie in the Quispamsis Arts & Culture Park
Join the Town of Quispamsis for Movie in the Park on Friday, July 4, 2025, at dusk. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a movie at the Arts & Culture Park free of charge with complimentary popcorn!
42. International Culture Fest
International Culture Fest will feature live traditional dances and music, an international marketplace with cuisine, arts, and crafts, an interactive Living Library, and family-friendly activities. The fest will be held on Water Street, outside AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village, on August 2–3, 2025.
43. Fundy Trail Parkway
The best way of taking in the Bay of Fundy is by following the Fundy Trail Parkway. The trails are multi-use and will take you around the coast and to a number of look-outs. There are a number of inclines, which make it a challenging hike or bike ride at times. There is also an Interpretive Centre on-site where you will find original artifacts and old photos from a bygone era, when logging, fishing and shipbuilding were an economic mainstay of this region.
44. What’s On at the Market Square
Enjoy thrift markets, live music, and more this summer at the Square!
45. Chocolate Fest
Enjoy this unique celebration of chocolate, rich in culture, delightful to the senses, and offering an unforgettable experience during July/ August.
46. Pop Up Community Market – Summer Edition
This special market offers a variety of local products, creative crafts, and delicious treats, ensuring there’s something delightful for every person. If you want a change of pace, take a walk on the indoor walking track. July 13 & 19, 2025
Would have loved to have been included in this list (Breakout Saint John). We have 5 awesome escape rooms as well as an Outdoor Puzzle Hunt in Uptown Saint John.