Stillwell Beer Garden set to open in waterfront summer experiment

Halifax's Waterfront Development is allowing Stillwell Bar to open a beer garden this summer on what was once performance space. But the bar has just one summer to prove it can boost the traffic in the "under-utilized" section of the boardwalk.

The bar has installed a custom-built, bright red container at Summit Plaza, near the wave sculpture. The side of the container slides open, revealing 10 taps, ready to pour and a 100-square-foot cooler that can hold 50 kegs.

"We've been working on this for nine months and it's finally come to fruition," said co-owner Richard Fewell. 

The beer garden will only sell products from Nova Scotia — beer, wine, cider and food. 

Fewell says they expect a mix of tourists and locals to fill the picnic tables in the seating area.

"It's going to be everybody," he said. "We're getting a lot of calls at the bar saying, 'when are you guys opening?'"

Something dramatically different

Colin MacLean, president of Halifax's Waterfront Development, says the bar approached them with the idea and they were willing to give it a shot. 

In the past, the space was used for performances and festivals, but MacLean says foot traffic was low. 

"It happens to be in a jog in the waterfront where people don't naturally go, they tend to cut through and avoid the space."

That's why they jumped at the idea to try something dramatically different.

"We know it's a spot that can be animated. That's why we wanted to test this one. It doesn't get in the way of any future festival operations because whether it's the buskers, whether it's the Jazz Festival, there's multiple venue spots on the waterfront."

Not everyone keen

MacLean says not everyone is smitten with the idea. There are several nearby bars with patios that will compete for the patrons, but Stillwell was given first shot at the beer garden because the bar owners came up with the idea. 

"It's one of the reasons why we wanted to test the idea," he said. "One of the things we need to understand is what is the impact."

If the project is a success, the beer garden will be open to tender every summer. 

MacLean says they will judge that success by numbers on the waterfront. Last year, they had about two million people walk along the boardwalk. 

MacLean says they're always looking for creative ways to draw more people to the waterfront. This summer they placed pianos along the boardwalk for people to randomly play. They're also testing a water taxi service. 

Fewell says Stillwell is willing to take the risk that they'll have to bid for the space in the future. 

The bar should be open any day now. The owners are waiting for a final permit from the fire department so their experiment can begin.