George Street, St. John's
Encyclopedia
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, that is known for its many bars and pubs.
The short street is populated mainly by bars and pubs and is open only to pedestrians in the evenings and during most of the business day, only being open to traffic from 8:00am until noon, to allow bars to restock their goods. George Street has the most bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and pubs per square foot of any street in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and is known to have bars that are open later than most others throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The street does not usually become crowded with people until later at night, around midnight, and will remain busy until early in the morning, possibly as early as 6 am, despite the absence of the sale of alcohol. There are however, many hot dog vendors and 24 hour restaurants nearby.
The street is the venue for an annual Mardi Gras celebration in October which can be confusing; most celebrations of this type occur in February in other parts of the world. However, the largest celebration on George Street is the six-night George Street Festival which occurs in early August and typically concludes on the Tuesday night before the Royal St. John's Regatta
Royal St. John's Regatta
The Royal St. John's Regatta is North America's oldest annual sporting event with documented proof of 1816 boat races. There is credible contention that St. John's regattas were held even earlier than 1816, likely in the 18th century....
, which is set for the first Wednesday in August. The festival is rumoured to be the largest of its kind in North America with over 120,000 people making their way through the streets during the six-day period.
George Street was once six blocks long, but with the construction of the St. John's Convention Centre
St. John's Convention Centre
The St. John's Convention Centre, located in Downtown St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador at 50 New Gower Street is the province's largest convention centre with 18,200 square feet of space. The convention centre was completed in May 2001 along with Mile One Centre, which is located across the...
, which sits directly on top of what used to be roughly the middle of the street, the street became "George Street" and "George Street West". As such, George Street proper is now only two blocks long. George Street West is home to a number of businesses, residences and a church, while George Street itself is the predominant home of St. John's' nightlife.
History
The "Great Fire" of 9th June 1846 in St. Johns started at the shop of a cabinetmaker named Hamlin, located on George Street off Queen Street, when a glue pot boiled over. The fire killed one artilleryman and two civilians, and burned large portions of the town, including burning all but one mercantile warehouse in the River area.Cultural references
George Street has been mentioned in a number of songs and other pop-cultural references. These include:- "The Night Paddy Murphy DiedThe Night Paddy Murphy DiedThe Night Paddy Murphy Died is a popular Newfoundland folk song. It was written by Johnny Burke , a popular St. John's balladeer.The song has been recorded by numerous artists, including Ryan's Fancy on their 1973 album Newfoundland Drinking Songs, The Irish Brigade on their 1991 album Are You...
", Great Big SeaGreat Big SeaGreat Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage... - "The Old Black Rum", Great Big SeaGreat Big SeaGreat Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
- George Street TV (locally-produced comedic TV series, broadcast on NTVCJON-TVCJON-DT is a Canadian English language television station broadcasting on channel 21 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with additional transmitters and cable coverage throughout the province. It is known on-air as NTV, for Newfoundland Television...
and later The Comedy NetworkThe Comedy NetworkThe Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
)
External links
- Downtown St. John's
- St. John's Night Out Website - Bars, Bands, Entertainment, Restaurants, Accommodations
- St. John's Daytime Events - Shopping, Community, Business, Recreation, Daytime Food
- The Newfie Bulletin Website
- George Street Clubs
- George Street Clubs Mobile
- What's on George
- George Street Live
- George Faced