The Saint John Newcomers Centre, official hosts of one of the largest multicultural festivals in Atlantic Canada, is evaluating a revised format aimed at minimizing conflict and maximizing joyful expression of the city’s growing diversity.
That’s because global events — in particular, the crisis in Gaza — have challenged the festival’s core values of making everyone feel welcome, represented, and safe.
That came into sharp focus last year, when Culturefest in the Valley, the companion event that visits the towns of Rothesay and Quispamsis, was cancelled two days before it was due to start in September 2024.
“Out of safety concerns,” recalled Sochi Azuh, speaking for the Newcomers Centre. “That was painful because a lot of planning had gone into it.”
When the 2025 festival returned to Saint John in August, police arrested one youth for an alleged assault and a man for possible obstruction after responding to calls about “Palestinian demonstrators” and an incident at the Israel table.
Sochi Azuh, representing the Saint John Newcomers Centre, speaks to CBC News Sept. 20, while volunteers prepare to welcome guests to Culturefest in the Valley at the Quispamsis Arts and Culture Park. He said last year’s decision to cancel the event, amid a rising tide of disruption at culture festivals across Canada, was painful. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Police told CBC News that multiple callers that day described protesters wearing red bags over their heads, and one person in a military uniform was said to be carrying a gun,
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