Welcome to Fredericton

Welcome to Fredericton!

Each September, thousands of people pour into the beautiful and historic downtown of Fredericton, New Brunswick to have an unforgettable experience at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

We’re so glad you’re thinking of joining us for the entertainment highlight of the year. Here’s some information that can help out-of-towners plan their trip.

Where to Stay

The Delta Fredericton is located on the Saint John River, only a few kms down the road from downtown. The Festival provides a free shuttle between the Delta and the heart of the Festival site every 20 minutes from 3 pm–3 am. Stop in to the Delta's bar and lounge, DJ Purdy's (which also has a Harvest stage!) for a drink before you catch a ride!

The Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown is a stone’s throw from the Festival site (and, in fact, has a Harvest stage in its bar, the James Joyce Pub). The hotel usually books up 6 months in advance of the Festival, so reserve your rooms early!

Other partner hotels that have a few free shuttles each night to and from the Festival are:

• Amsterdam Inn & Suites
• Best Western
• Comfort Inn
• Fredericton Inn
• Howard Johnson’s
• Lakeview Inn & Suites

For a full listing of accommodations in Fredericton, visit the Fredericton Tourism website.

Where to Eat

There are many restaurants downtown around the Festival site—from fine dining, to pub food, to a spectrum of ethnic offerings—there’s something for everyone’s palate.

The Festival also provides vendors on the streets and in the venues to satisfy your cravings, including a mix of street meat, munchies, pizza, and traditional maritime offerings. Whatever you’re looking for—you certainly won’t go hungry!

Search out the Fredericton restaurants that suit your taste at the Fredericton Tourism website.

What to Do

Well, of course, there’s a myriad of music performances—including lots of free shows, workshops and even a children’s event—at the Festival, in tents, on the streets and in the partner pubs and clubs around town. That’ll probably keep you pretty busy. But, if you’re not too pooped from all the rocking out you’ll be doing at Harvest, there are lots of great ideas and suggestions for tourists on the websites of Fredericton Tourism, Downtown Fredericton Inc. and Tourism New Brunswick, so have a look at those—who knows what you will find that catches your fancy!

Getting Around

Flying: The Fredericton Airport is about 15km from downtown, so it’s a relatively reasonable cab ride away. Most flights to and from the Fredericton Airport connect through Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax.

Driving from the US: Fredericton in less than an hour past the Houlton, Maine border up the I-95. It’s approximately 3 hours drive from Bangor, 5 hours from Portland and 6 ½ hours from Boston.

Driving from within Canada: Fredericton is 2 ½ hours from Charlottetown, 4 hours from Halifax, 4 hours from the Quebec border and 8 hours from Montreal. And of course, the Transcanada Highway is the way to go!    

In town: The festival takes place in 6 city blocks, so everything you’d want to see is easily within walking distance.

If you’re staying at one of our partner hotels, we offer a free shuttle to and from downtown each night of the Festival—sometimes as often as every 20 minutes. See the ANBL Park & Ride schedule for more details. There is limited parking available downtown, but it can get pretty congested, especially at Festival time, so even if you are not staying at a hotel, we highly recommend using our free Park & Ride service. You can park your car at The Delta Fredericton and catch a ride. This shuttle runs every 20 minutes.

You can also take advantage of our public transit system, which is fairly easy to navigate.

When in doubt, stop someone and ask directions! We’re friendly folks here in Fredericton and won’t mind pointing you on your way!