The young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. Pippin the musical will run from Feb. 18 to Feb. 22 at the Black Box Theatre in St. Thomas University. (Credit: Cameron Rouse) Upon entering the Black Box, students are running through choreography, writing down cues and painting sets for the opening of their 2026 production of Pippin.  From Feb. 18 to Feb. 22, St. Thomas University’s musical theatre class will showcase Pippin , a musical th

Tommies centre Raph Fiset has had 26 kills so far this season. (Submitted: Raph Fiset) Both St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies volleyball teams have a strong chance at winning the Atlantic championship on their home ground.  From Feb. 27 to March 1, STU will be hosting the 2026 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Volleyball Championship at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym for the first time since 2019. Raph Fiset, fourth-year men’s centre, believes that playing in their

" I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest." (Malachi Lefurgey/AQ) Can we truly and realistically do it all? Work, family, school, love? Where do our passions live in the balance of work and life? Imagine, when you are born, a tree is born somewhere in the world at the exact moment you are. This tree is your life. Growing from the sun, rain, snowstorms, thunderstorms, everything life is throwing your way.   As we get older, the tree's ro

Nicholas Hussey, born in 1992, is a Fredericton-based multimedia director who coordinates commercial and nonprofit productions for clients across Canada and overseas while living with ALS. (Credit: Suzanne Shah/AQ) Nicholas Hussey was not meant to be an artist but a soldier. Hussey joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2012 when he was 19. He left after being injured and later being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), changing the course of his life. ALS is a pr

A freshly poured pint sits on the bar at a Fredericton brewery, where taprooms double as lively community hubs despite a national slowdown in beer sales. (Credit: Graystone brewery) Fredericton’s craft breweries are defying a national slump in beer sales by transforming their taprooms into essential community social hubs. Beer Canada, an industry group representing brewers, reported declines in beer production, consumption and sales in 2024. The group also reported a 1.5 per

Dr. M. Nauman Farooqi, President and Vice-Chancellor, with Sidnel Longuma at the Black History Month opening ceremony.   (Photo credit: Gisele Gallibois) Sidnel Longuma traveled from Entebbe, Uganda, to Canada in August 2024—a nearly 20-hour plane ride she took alone for the first time.  She came to St. Thomas University (STU) to pursue a double major in human rights and sustainability and environmental studies. On Monday, Feb.1, Longuma served as the emcee (MC) for the openi

Birch & Teal Productions play on the infamous Oscar Wilde play The Importance of Being Earnest. (Brianna Lyttle/AQ) As part of Fredericton FROSTival, Oscar Wilde’s classic farce The Importance of Being Earnest  delighted audiences at the Tom Morrison Theatre during the last weekend of January. The story follows Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff as they make up names and identities for themselves and switch back and forth between them while finding love in Victorian England

Carlos Alcaraz holds the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup after his Australian Open men's singles win. (Credit: Getty Images) The tennis season kicked off under the Melbourne sun, with the Australian Open (AO) setting the stage for the first Grand Slam of the year. On Feb. 1, the 114th edition of the Australian Open held its final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. This was a very unexpected but exciting final because it was the first time in the last two years witho

Riham and her twin sister, Bayan Al Khalaf, with their mother, Salwa Khalil Saj, from Syria, sell their traditional food for the first time.  Salwa Khalil Saj gave permission to interview her 17-year-old daughter, Bayan Al Khalaf. At Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne, two large banners with Ramadan at each end of the Cafétorium de l'École des Bâtisseurs greeted Fredericton locals on Saturday, Jan. 31. A souk — the Arabic word for marketplace — is traditionally a lively communi

The reimagined classic play The Velveteen Rabbit performed by the actors of TNB Young Company. (Brianna Lyttle/AQ) Tania Breen’s stage adaptation of the classic children’s novel The Velveteen Rabbit first hit the stage in 2013 with Theatre New Brunswick’s (TNB) touring Young Company. Once the show closed, the rabbit doll used in the production took up residence on a shelf in the TNB building. Now, the rabbit has hopped down and is touring the province again in a new re-imagin

The Smashing Pumpkins album cover of Siamese Dream . (Credit: Pinterest) I could talk about The Smashing Pumpkins endlessly (and I do). The four band members are all individual legends and their sound together is irreplicable.  They burst onto the scene with their first album Gish , which at the time was the highest-selling independent album ever. They followed that success with something even better: Siamese Dream  in 1993.  This album was relatively different compared to th

Camila Baquerizo, Alex Ryan, Charlotte Boulting and Kyra Lustig, members of STU moot court team, holding their prizes for the Dow Cup competition. (Credit: Dalhousie University) St. Thomas University’s moot court teams delivered a standout performance at the Dow Cup competition hosted by Dalhousie University, sweeping all four awards presented and marking a major milestone for the program. The team of Kyra Lustig and Camila Baquerizo claimed victory in the final round of the

Ivar Stenberg celebrates a goal during the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Credit: David Berding/Associated Free Press) Sweden is a country known for its rich hockey history.  Countless players from the Scandinavian nation have had long careers playing in the National Hockey League (NHL), many of whom were drafted within the top ten choices.   Rasmus Dahlin and Mats Sundin are the only two Swedes to go first overall. Sundin went first overall in 1989, while Dahlin was c

Jazz Trio Solina performing the art of jazz at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. (Jennifer William/AQ) Jazz has moved out of the shadows. In Fredericton, it’s lively, visible and very much part of the city’s cultural scene.  On Jan. 31 the Canadian jazz piano trio Solina took the stage at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre. They delivered a cabaret-style evening full of energy, improvisation and lyrical interplay.    The intimate Jim Myles Auditorium let the audience experience

Finance and National Revenue Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne looks on as Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks outlines new affordability measures at a grocery store in Ottawa. (Credit: La Presse canadienne / Adrian Wyld) Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a new federal package on Jan. 26, designed to reduce the cost of groceries and other essential goods for Canadians, part of a broader push to make daily life more affordable amid persistent price pressures. The initiative

Members of the Fredericton Caps Para Hockey team. (Submitted: Fredericton Caps Para Hockey) Fredericton Caps Para Hockey team is open to all, regardless of age, gender, skill level and physical ability or disability. Ran by Shawn Dickerson and Shane Dunnett, the club aspires to make hockey as accessible and inclusive as possible. Para hockey, formerly known as sledge hockey, trades skates for double-bladed sledges to aid with mobility, aiding each player having two sticks for

Watercolor paint, pencil crayons, pastels and Joan Didion. (Malachi Lefurgye/AQ) Each year, people popularize new year's resolutions on social media, from VSCO girls, to “to be cringe is to be free.” Now, 2026’s resolution is to break free from the chains that consumption-driven media has over us all. Since our frontal lobes are finally reaching maturity, our generation is now becoming aware of the decline and uprise of social media. We are aware that simply sitting in bed sc

Alex MacLean working through his shift at St. Thomas University, where rising costs are making life harder to afford. (Credit: Suzanne Shah/AQ) Alex MacLean realized something had shifted when a routine grocery trip in Fredericton cost around $150. “I did not expect us to be where we are now,” he said. MacLean works full-time as a cleaner at St. Thomas University. For years, steady employment meant stability. Rent was manageable, groceries were predictable and budgeting felt

The Multicultural Cafe bringing the wolrds cultures in communion. (Credit: Elizabeth Pellerin) On Jan. 22, the Multicultural Association of Fredericton (MCAF) hosted one of their monthly Cultural Cafés at the Fredericton Public Library. This event serves as a cultural exchange between Fredericton’s citizens and has been finding success with the city’s newcomers as they integrate into the community. “The idea is to find new friends,” said Larysa Motspan, volunteer coordinator

Rocky Lemon bakery on Lincoln Road is set to expand with a second downtown Fredericton location. (Credit: Sheldon Poon) Strong community support and creative desserts are helping the Rocky Lemon bakery thrive, with the Lincoln Road business set to open a second location in downtown Fredericton later this winter.   Nada Wiltshire, the owner of the Rocky Lemon,  first sold her products at the Northside Creators Market in 2020.   Wiltshire said the bakery plans to open a second