Take it outside Pandemic patios continue to flourish By: Tessa Adamski Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 11, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2023 (1154 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During the pandemic, many local restaurants and bars relied on outdoor spaces as a way for customers to gather safely.

The province lifted its remaining public health orders and restrictions last spring, but the concept of pop-up patios, beer gardens and outdoor community spaces continues to flourish.

Blue Note Park is a summer concert venue run by John Scoles, owner of the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club. It opened to facilitate live music when indoor gatherings were restricted.

“It turned out that people really embraced that idea, and it gave them a chance to get together in a way that they felt safe,” said Scoles. “People just love it so much that we’ve decided to try to keep going with it as long as we’re able to use that spot.”

The venue, an empty lot transformed into a bar/venue, sits on the site of the former Blue Note Café, which was run by Curtis Riddell throughout the ’80s and ’90s. It was a popular after-hours club where artists and patrons hung out and jammed onstage.

Scoles said he’s always been mesmerized by places featuring live music and wanted to name the space the Blue Note in memory of Riddell.

“I believe that the better you do for the world, in general, the more likely the world is to allow you to just kind of be and that is the absolute philosophy of a place like that,” he said.

“Music is one of the best ways for people to connect. There’s nothing like seeing a band bursting into song and the way people just can’t sit still — they have to get up and dance.”

The 220 Main St. venue expects to host more than 50 artists and bands this summer from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 7 p.m. to midnight.

COVID-19 restrictions also challenged Centre culturel franco-manitobain (CCFM) to open Le Patio 340, a bilingual bar in St. Boniface showcasing arts and cultural workshops and programming.

Liliane Lavack, artistic director at CCFM, said the venue’s audiences are not what they used to be, because people are still getting into the rhythm of going out and watching live entertainment.

Opening Le Patio 340 from June to September is a way to ease people back into socializing, she says.

The patio offers interactive programming such as yoga, paint nights, karaoke, family games, cultural events in collaboration with local organizations, and performances with professional and emerging artists.

“Art is where you express yourself, where you can destress, you can make new connections, you can explore things that you wouldn’t normally explore,” Lavack says. “CCFM and the patio can be that window for artists where they can grow, try new things and perfect themselves.”

With 64 events planned this summer, running Thursdays to Sundays, Le Patio 340 focuses its diverse programming on inclusivity and accessibility, supporting marginalized groups in Winnipeg.

The space is open to patrons of all ages, who are not required to buy a ticket to attend the evening activities.

Lavack says creating a space that’s easily accessible for everyone encourages people to “come as they are” and be embraced by the arts and culture community.

“I always joke that I could practically be here every weekend, because I enjoy the programming so much,” she says.

The Beer Can, which originally opened in the current Blue Note Park space, has been located next to the oldest curling club in Western Canada since 2020.

Brad Chute, the venue’s co-owner, says he was inspired to create the beer garden after visiting different restaurants and bars in Halifax.

“It’s a nice space to remove yourself from the city while still being right in the middle of the city,” he says.

The rustic venue along Granite Way features weekly performances from emerging solo artists, bands, and occasional dance pop-ups from noon to midnight.

“Inflation is really eating into people’s discretionary budgeting, so we provide a space where we don’t require people to buy anything,” Chute says. “People are welcome to come and just hang out.”

Cargo Bar, nestled beside the Riley Family Duck Pond at Assiniboine Park, offers a pop-up experience, serving beverages from a shipping container from May to September, and from Christmas break to February.

“People are welcome to come and just hang out.”–Brad Chute

Bar owner Jennifer Mathieson said her husband, Graeme, originally built the container for her to tour festivals and special events in 2018.

To keep their business open during the pandemic, they started a pilot project in the park, attaching permanent fixtures such as a staircase to the rooftop, a front pergola, a storage unit for supplies, a bike rack and a sheltered structure for live entertainment.

“We complement the experience of the park around us,” said Mathieson. “It was about creating an environment that was different, enjoyable, comfortable and relaxed.”

Mathieson said she was inspired to add an original twist on the shipping-container idea after seeing it flourish in Montreal and Vancouver.

“It can be difficult for the city or different organizations to accept unique things when it’s outside of the box, but the more they can do that and reduce the red tape, the better impact it’ll have for the entire city,” Mathieson says.

The patio, open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 10 p.m., includes family games such as cornhole and Jenga, and has firepits for the fall season.

Jennifer Ali, a patron at Cargo Bar, said she enjoys sitting at patios in the summer to have a cocktail outside, a few small bites, and to be around other people having a good time.

The only downside to outdoor venues is the unpredictability of the weather, she said, as dark clouds hovered over the patio, threatening to storm.

“It was about creating an environment that was different, enjoyable, comfortable and relaxed.”–Jennifer Mathieson

Ali and her husband also frequent the Beer Can and Pony Corral Restaurant and Bar for its tiki concept.

She says it wouldn’t hurt for more restaurants in the city to make patio extensions, and suggests they also offer more traditional drinks, rather than focusing on trendy craft beers.

“If they build them, people will come,” said Ali.

tessa.adamski@winnipegfreepress.com