George Street

George Street is the heart of St. John's nightlife — a pedestrian-only street in the downtown core lined from end to end with bars, pubs, and live music venues. The street comes alive on weekends and is particularly lively in summer. Almost every musical act that passes through Newfoundland plays here, and the pubs mix local bands with commercial DJs in roughly equal measure.

The pub culture is genuinely welcoming. Newfoundlanders are not the type to leave a stranger alone at the bar, and George Street is where that reputation is most thoroughly borne out. Traditional music (sessions with fiddle and button accordion) appears in several venues on weekend nights. It is noisy, occasionally chaotic, and a great deal of fun.

bars and cafes bar neighbourhood
A story
George Street holds a Guinness World Record for the greatest number of bars and pubs per square foot in North America — the entire pedestrian street, about 200 metres long, is lined end to end with licensed premises. On summer weekends the street is effectively one long open-air party. The George Street Festival in late July and early August brings in major acts and draws tens of thousands of people over several days.