Fall/Winter Seasonal Guide

The crisp wind means Uptown Saint John is embracing Fall & Winter! Check out our seasonal signature initiatives, Season of Sparkle activities, Uptown Saint John Gift Card, and Clean Crew services. 

We suggest you keep this bookmarked and check back often for up-to-date info!

Fall Uptown Saint John Gift Card Sale

Our bi-annual sale happens every Fall & Spring. The sale is for 20% off Uptown Gift Cards while supplies last. $250 will be available for purchase for $200 Maximum one card per purchase per person per email address with Card Pick-up next day.

We will email you & post on our social media when the next one is about to happen.

Fall Chop Chop
November 4th to 10th, 2024

We are SO excited to be celebrating 15 years of Chop Chop this Fall 2024! That is a LOT of good food and good memories! 

For this delightful week-long food initiative, we ask you to submit a menu item of your choice for one or each of the following categories; 

Chop Chop Plate up to $15

2-Course Chop Chop Lunch up to $20

3-Course Chop Chop Dinner up to $45

$1 per dish will be collected at the end of the week to be donated on your behalf to the Lunch Connection program. (link to our Lunch connection program)

(During all of our food initiatives, we get many dietary requests from patrons. So if any of your offerings are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or halal, please be sure to note it when submitting your menus to us). We will send you an email to sign up for this closer to the date. 

Be sure to tag us on Instagram @UptownsjEATS in your Chop Chop photos & use the hashtags #chopchopsj #UptownsjEATS

Season of Sparkles

Uptown Saint John BIA helps make Uptown Sparkle by organizing many festive initiatives & event during November & December.

Season of Sparkles Activities

Uptown In Your Town
Free Delivery Service TBD

Gingerbread Trail
2024 Dates TBD
Nov 29 – Dec 24, 2023

Many Uptown businesses feature gingerbread creations each December. Visitors love exploring the Gingerbread Trail, which is organized by the Ginger Agency.

Uptown Sparkles
Dec 6th 2024

We encourage all Uptown Saint John BIA business members to join us for Uptown Sparkles! Our annual Uptown Sparkles is where we kick off the holiday season with lighting displays, entertainment, and more! We invite all businesses to stay open late and take part!

Opportunity: It’s time to start thinking about what your business would like to do for the day of Uptown Sparkles!

Uptown Poutine Fest
2025 date TBD
January 22 to 28, 2024

We invite you to create various takes on this classic Canadian dish for a week each January!  You can offer as many different poutines as you would like, and you set the price!  

(During all of our food initiatives, we get many dietary requests from patrons. So if any of your offerings are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or halal, please be sure to note it when submitting your menus to us). We will send you an email to sign up for this closer to the date.

Be sure to tag us on Instagram @UptownsjEATS in your Uptown Poutine Fest photos & use the hashtags #poutinefestsj #UptownsjEATS

Uptown Taco Week in Uptown Saint John NB

Uptown Taco Week
2025 date TBD
February 26 to March 3, 2024

Get ready to spice things up for a week in March! Give your customers something to taco ‘bout with your creative taco creations. You can offer as many different tacos as you would like, and you set the price!  

(During all of our food initiatives, we get many dietary requests from patrons. So if any of your offerings are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or halal, please be sure to note it when submitting your menus to us). We will send you an email to sign up for this closer to the date.

Be sure to tag us on Instagram @UptownsjEATS in your Uptown Taco Week photos & use the hashtags #tacoweeksj #UptownsjEATS

Fall Resources

Uptown Retailer & Restaurant Guide Online Map

This great interactive online resource for visitors conveniently lists all the Uptown Saint John BIA Retailers & Restaurants on a Google map. Uptown Retailer & Restaurant Guide Online Map can be easily found in the following locations by scanning the featured QRL code;

  • Discover Saint John & Towns by the Bay information booklet
  • Port Saint John Cruise Ship map 
  • Skipper our Clean Crew rig 
  • Uptown Tent cards for businesses (available for pick up from our office or contact us to let us know you want one)
  • Found on both sides of our Uptown Retailer & Restaurant Guides

We have some complimentary things at our office for you!

Pride Window Stickers
Uptown Retailer & Restaurant Guides
Pet-Friendly Window Stickers
Dog Bowls

Is your shop or restaurant patio pet-friendly? Let us know! We will add your pet-friendly business to our Uptown Saint John BIA Pet Friendly online map!

Clean Crew

Setting the Stage

Saint John Energy and Uptown Saint John BIA continue to work hard to make the Uptown Sparkle. In preparation for the holiday season Uptown will be brightly lit beginning the middle of November with snowflakes, bells and trees and as always King’s Square will be lit up, and the bandstand will shine bright as usual!

Salt & Sand Box Program

The sandboxes are available for you to use during the colder months. This program is a partnership with our Community sponsor, Cooper Equipment Rental. Once they are set up for the year, we will post the list here, so you know where the closest one is to you. Fall 2024 sandbox locations will be listed once they are out for the year.

2023/2024 Sandboxs were put out in mid November 2023.

  • 143 Charlotte Street (in front of Keirstead Flower Shop)
  • 89 Germain Street (in front of the Feel Good store)
  • 2 Peel Plaza (in front of Vito’s)
  • 87 Prince William Street (in front of Gahan House)
  • 78 King Street (in front of Urban Shoe Myth)
  • 125 Germain Street (in front of Union Club)
  • 139 Union Street (in front of Vintage Barbours)
  • 125 Station Street (in front of Station Street Health)

Hosting an Outdoor Event? Borrow our Fire Pits

Are you interested in having some outside activities at your business but want to make sure people stay warm? We are lending out both our fire pits. They are perfect for pop-up events or outdoor patios (propane not provided)

Community Resources – Fall/Winter

  • Click here to see Port Saint John’s cruise ship schedule. Find out when changes happen by signing up for SMS text alert by texting the word “CRUISE” to 833-222-1191
  • City of Saint John snow removal page, you can find out about plowing and parking bans there.

Uptown Saint John Year Long Initiatives

Safety Enhancement Grants

The application period for the Safety Enhancement Grants has started. Facade Grants are awarded to cover up to fifty percent of project costs, to a maximum of $1500 per PID. Funds are limited, and awards are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, visit our Uptown Grants page by clicking the button below and fill out the form. Please get your application in by mid-fall, so we have time to process it before year-end. 

Facade Grants

The application period for annual Facade Grants starts at the beginning of every year. Facade Grants are awarded to cover up to fifty percent of project costs, to a maximum of $2000 per PID. Funds are limited, and awards are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, visit our Uptown Grants page by clicking the button below and fill out the form. Please get your application in by mid-fall, so we have time to process it before year-end. 

Event Calendar

Did you know you can feature your events in the Uptown Saint John BIA Area on our online events calendar? Event listings can include special events, local markets, festivals, and Uptown Saint John initiatives. Our Uptown event calendar proudly features activities submitted by event organizers, reflecting the dynamic spirit of our community. It’s important to clarify that inclusion on our calendar means visibility on our site and does not extend to further promotional efforts. Each event’s marketing and promotion are solely the responsibility of its organizers, and Uptown Saint John Inc. is not associated with the management or execution of these activities.

The calendar is not for individual store sales or promotions. Certain days are an exception to the submission requirements;

  • Valentine’s Day (February 14th)
  • St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th)
  • Small Business Saturday (Saturday after USA Thanksgiving)
  • Uptown Sparkles (the first Friday of every December) 

For these 4 special dates, Uptown Saint John BIA business members are welcome to create an event calendar submission promoting anything that relates to that day’s theme ( their business, themed products, window displays, pop-ups, sales, special hours of operation, music, & etc).

Uptown Saint John Gift Card

Have you registered to accept our Uptown Saint John Gift Card? It is accepted by 100+ Uptown businesses and is free for our business members to join.

Contact our Senior Project Manager Tracy at tracy@uptownsj.com to join now! 

Uptown Saint John Social Media

Connect with us on Facebook & Instagram at @UptownSJ and remember to use the hashtags #LoveLifeUptown #LiftUpLocalSJ #UptownSJ

To see all things food and drink related in Uptown Saint John, check out our @UptownsjEATS accounts on Facebook & Instagram

  • Do you have a feel good moment you want us to share? Tag us on Instagram. We share highlighted moments Uptown in our Instagram stories according to our capacity. (Our Instagram account is most active during our regular office hours of operation) 
  • Private message us on Instagram if you want to be featured on our Instagram account showing off all the work your business does for a special behind-the-scenes video!

Please note that Uptown Saint John Inc. has over 500+ members in the Uptown Saint John BIA. Please tag these accounts a maximum of once a week. We share according to our capacity.

Behind-the-Scenes Features On Uptown Saint John’s Social Media

The Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association knows that businesses put in so much work behind the scenes through making products, setting up product displays, taking product photos & more! We want to highlight all the hard work that you, Uptown Saint John BIA Businesses, do. We love getting short videos & photos of your behind-the-scenes moments to share with our followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.

Want to be featured next? Message us on @UptownSJ on Instagram (click here to visit our profile) or email Lea through our contact us page by clicking here.

Uptown Saint John’s Marketing Strategy

Elevate the Uptown Saint John area through promotion and support of the overall landscape of Uptown Saint John based on our 3-year strategic plan, pillars, and the New Brunswick BIA Act.

Uptown Saint John Inc. Marketing FAQ for Uptown Businesses 

With over 500+ businesses in the Uptown Saint John BIA, we love seeing all the awesome things you are doing across all business sectors! 

How does Uptown Saint John Inc. support the Uptown Saint John BIA through marketing and social media?

Our marketing strategy’s mission is to elevate the Uptown Saint John area, taking into account the bigger picture and the overall landscape of Uptown Saint John. Our marketing focuses on our signature initiatives and events that align with and support our 3-year strategic plan, pillars, and the New Brunswick BIA Act. Our content on our social media platforms reflects these values. 

How does Uptown Saint John Inc. promote individual businesses in the Uptown Saint John BIA online?

We know that our 500+ businesses operate across different sectors, each with its own marketing plan and strategy with specific target audiences in mind. Uptown Saint John’s marketing strategy does not include promoting individual businesses. 

However, Uptown Saint John does have some digital marketing tools that individual businesses can use to promote themselves; 

Uptown Saint John’s Website Events Calendar – All special events happening within the Uptown Saint John BIA area are welcome to be submitted to the events calendar. Our Uptown event calendar proudly features activities submitted by event organizers, reflecting the dynamic spirit of our community. It’s important to clarify that inclusion on our calendar means visibility on our site and does not extend to further promotional efforts. Each event’s marketing and promotion are solely the responsibility of its organizers, and Uptown Saint John Inc. is not associated with the management or execution of these activities.

Uptown Saint John’s Instagram Stories – Does your business have a feel-good moment you want us to share? Each month, we share a few feel-good moments from our Uptown businesses in our Instagram stories. Tag Uptown Saint John’s Instagram accounts in your stories, feed photos, and reels for your business’s opportunity to be shared on the Uptown Saint John stories. Tag @UptownSJ to share your Uptown events, products, sales, and other fantastic things your business is doing. Tag @UptownsjEATS to show us what you are featuring on your menu.

Please note that Uptown Saint John Inc. has over 500+ members in the Uptown Saint John BIA. We share according to our capacity.

Community Resources

Sign up for Envision Saint John newsletter & get updates on upcoming conferences and events, but please note the list sent is not exhaustive as the list of events is always changing.

Discover Saint John’s events calendar

The City of Saint John Community Dashboard – Here’s the place for the latest updates on City operations, street closures, schedule changes and more!

Find the latest City of Saint John News & Notices Here

City of Saint John Homelessness Crisis Contact Sheet

City of Saint John Winter Management Plan 

Want to see King street traffic, weather, or if there is a cruise ship in port? Click here for the City of Saint John Webcam on King Street 

City of Saint John Permits, Licenses, and Service Requests

Heritage Conservation | City of Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John Police Force non-emergency police number 506-648-3333 

“The Saint John Police enforce by-laws related to noise (disturbances of the peace such as loud parties and construction noise), panhandling (obstructive and threatening panhandling), street events (parades, festivals, and demonstrations), and will assist the SPCA for animal control calls.” quote from the City of Saint John website

For emergencies, call 911

Have questions about parking Uptown? Contact the Saint John Parking at the City of Saint John at 506-658-4455

Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association

Happy
to see you
Here

At the Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association, we are passionate about our Uptown Saint John BIA area! We are dedicated to keeping our membership up to date with Uptown Saint John Business Improvement Association organized events, activities, and services. We represent the interests of over 500 business members. Membership is automatic and is based on the location of businesses within a defined area, as seen in this map.