The Cap’s Tannery Summer Kick-Off will feature performances by The Tortoise The Hare & The Millionaire, Kylie Fox, Weak Size Fish and Kill Chicago.
Matt Carter
May 16 is shaping up to be a great day for live music in Fredericton with the return of outdoor performances at The Cap. Beginning at 3 p.m., the city’s most popular music venue will start patio season off on the right foot with performances by The Tortoise The Hare & The Millionaire, Kylie Fox, Weak Size Fish and Kill Chicago.
Not long after the arrival of COVID-19 brought an end to the familiarity of indoor performances, The Cap took its successful formula outdoors, launching a series of performances that animated both its patio space and occasionally the adjacent parking lot known as The Tannery.
Located on the block between King, Queen, Westmoreland and York Streets and surrounded by several local businesses including The Cap, Dolan’s Pub and Klub Khrome, The Tannery was initially conceived as an urban park with live music and vendors during the summer and paid parking location during the off season.
The area was developed at a cost of $250,000 with funding from Downtown Fredericton Inc, the provincial government’s Community Improvement Program and the City of Fredericton. The planned multi use space officially opened on July 19, 2002 to much fanfare but quickly ran into a number of troubles brought on by everything from the lack of shade during the day and a growing reputation for evening rowdiness. In an interview with The Daily Gleaner just months after opening, Fredericton businessman John Mazzuca called the location, “a great place for drinking, fighting, loving and smoking pot.”
While summer concert programming and dreams of a daytime market area lasted only a few years, Harvest Jazz and Blues operated The Tannery Stage for many years after the initial concept was exhausted.
Today, with the cooperation of many surrounding businesses, live music has once again found a home at The Tannery through special events like The Cap’s Tannery Summer Kick-Off.
