Hosting the region's largest urban population,
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
is an important cultural centre in
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
. Halifax is home to a vibrant arts and culture community that enjoys considerable support and participation from the general population. As the largest community and the administrative centre of the Atlantic region since its founding in 1749, Halifax has long-standing tradition of being a cultural generator. While provincial arts and culture policies have tended to distribute investment and support of the arts throughout the province, sometimes to the detriment of more populous Halifax, cultural production in the region is increasingly being recognized for its economic benefits, as well as its purely cultural aspects.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is in the process of drafting a Cultural Plan to guide the municipality's arts and culture development.
While Halifax is not as multiculturally diverse as its larger Canadian counterparts, this is slowly evolving, particularly as the municipality and province place more emphasis on attracting immigrants.
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
comprise the second-largest visible minority in Halifax, while the largest visible minority – the historic African Nova Scotian community – as well as the more recently established
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Lebanese communities provide important influences for local culture. The city benefits from a large population of post-secondary students, including a significant proportion of national and international students, who strongly influence the local cultural scene.
Performing arts
Halifax has been the home to live music and theatrical productions virtually since its founding. Writer-historian
Thomas H. Raddall
Thomas Head Raddall (13 November 1903 – 1 April 1994) was a Canadian writer of history and historical fiction.[Maritime Centre
The Maritime Centre, in Downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is an office building, home to the regional telecommunications company Bell Aliant (formerly the Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company, after which it is named). The main entrance ...]
).
Theatre
Halifax is home to a number of theatre groups, the most prominent being the
Neptune Theatre. Though Neptune was founded in 1963, live theatre had been performed on the present site since 1915 when it was reputed to be the first
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
house designed and built specifically as a theatre.
Other notable theatre groups include the ''open air''
Shakespeare by the Sea,
Eastern Front Theatre, based in Alderney Landing and ''Canada's longest continuously running community theatre''
The Theatre Arts Guild. There are several smaller theatre companies, such as
OneLight Theatre,
Zuppa Circus,
Foghorn Theatre and 2b Theatre; as well as various community-based theatre groups including the
Chester Players and the
Dartmouth Players.
There is a theatre studies program at
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
and its
Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is the largest performance theatre for dramatic and musical events in Halifax
Dance
Halifax is the home of several dance organizations, the oldest and largest is the
Halifax Dance Association. Founded in 1973, Halifax Dance has over 1400 members and is the largest dance organization in the Atlantic region, located in the Maritime Centre on Barrington Street. Halifax Dance offers recreational classes in ballet, modern, jazz, creative movement, tap, hip-hop and physical theatre. It also offers the Intensive Training Program (ITP) for more serious study of dance, choreography and performance. Halifax Dance has several companies-in-residence: Senior Company-in Residence, Gwen Noah Dance, the modern companies Mocean Dance and
Verve Mwendo
Verve may refer to:
Music
* The Verve, an English rock band
* '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve
* ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album)
* Verve Records, an American jazz record label
Businesses
* Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...
and also the Young Company which tours Nova Scotian schools and annually presents
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...
.
The other major dance organization in Halifax is the School of Dance at the
Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts
The Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts (the Conservatory) is a Canadian performing arts school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that offers courses in higher education in music, dance, and theatre. It is the largest and the oldest (1887) of such org ...
.
Halifax's immigrant communities also have an array of dance troupes that perform all over Halifax and Nova Scotia. One of these troupes is
Romiosyni Dance Group (Greek Community of Halifax) which headlines at the annual Greek Festival and performs throughout the Maritimes. The group is composed of volunteer instructors and dancers who share the love of Greek dance and culture. Their costume collection comes from the various regions of Greece and their repertoire includes a large number of traditional Greek dances.
Music
The musical scene in Halifax is broad and richly varied, from
European classical to
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
and
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
traditional to the various forms of
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
. It is the home of
Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary recital space is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.
History
Symphony Nova Scotia began in 19 ...
, which dates back to 1897 when it was known as The Halifax Symphony. Many of its musicians have joint teaching appointments at the
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
School of Music and the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. Symphony Nova Scotia's conductor since 2002 has been Bernhard Gueller.
Halifax is home to a vibrant music community. Some notable artists to have emerged from Halifax include
Buck 65
Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop artist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, ...
, Universal Soul, Classified,
Wintersleep
Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001.Heidi Ulrichsen"Wintersleep offers 'sneak peeks' of new album at Boreal" ''Sudbury Star'', June 30, 2014. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and gui ...
,
April Wine
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which reac ...
, and
The Joel Plaskett Emergency
William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres ...
. During the 1990s, Halifax was excitedly billed as the next
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
because of its vibrant
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
scene. Although it never managed to achieve Seattle's musical fame, a number of artists did emerge, including
Sloan,
Thrush Hermit
Thrush Hermit was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by Vice News.
History
Thrush Hermit was formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1992 by Jo ...
, and
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
. Halifax is the home of the
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name o ...
, an indie rock festival that draws upwards of 20,000 attendees annually and showcases new and emerging music. Past performers include
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
,
K'naan
Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...
,
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...
,
Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were an American indie pop band from New York City, formed in 2007. The band centered around founding member and principal songwriter Kip Berman (vocals, guitar). In the band's final iteration, Berman was joined ...
and hundreds more.
It also hosted the
2006 Juno Awards.
The city is occasionally included in the tours of top-grossing concert acts. The
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
recently held the largest concert the city has ever witnessed on September 23, 2006, on the
Halifax Commons
The Halifax Common, in local popular usage often referred to as the Commons, is a Canadian urban park in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is Canada’s oldest urban park.
History
The Halifax Common was originally a lightly forested swampy area which fo ...
.
Visual arts
Halifax is a centre for the visual arts, being home to a celebrated school for art and design as well as more than 30 art galleries.
The
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design or NSCAD, is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The univ ...
, since its founding in 1887 as the Victoria School of Art and Design, has had a major influence on the visual arts in Nova Scotia, particularly in urban Halifax. Many NSCAD graduates have remained in Halifax and practiced as graphic designers, photographers, film-makers, muralists, ceramicists, jewellers and weavers.
Halifax has a multitude of galleries, both public and private, including the
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up approximately of space. The museum complex compr ...
, housed in a facility with a permanent collection of more than 15,000 items.
[ Private galleries include Zwickers Gallery, Eye Level Gallery and Studio 21. There are numerous works of public art on display in the city.
As well, the local universities operate art galleries. NSCAD has its own exhibition space, the Anna Leonowens Gallery in Historic Properties. The ]Dalhousie Arts Centre
The Dalhousie Arts Centre, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, contains a number of theatres (including an outdoor rooftop theatre), Dalhousie Art Gallery, classrooms, and a sculpture garden. It remains the premier performing arts ve ...
houses the Dalhousie Art Gallery. Mount Saint Vincent University has hosted the MSVU Gallery since 1971. The Saint Mary's University art gallery bills itself as the first university art gallery in the city.
Film
Halifax has become a film-making centre, with many American and Canadian filmmakers using the city's streetscapes, often to stand in for other cities that are more expensive to work in. The city's port status also makes it a popular location for films about ships; scenes from the films ''Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' (1997), ''The Shipping News
''The Shipping News'' is a novel by American author E. Annie Proulx and published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1993. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the U.S. National Book Award, as well as other awards. It was adapted as a film of the ...
'', and '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' were all filmed in the region, as well as numerous silver-screen movies and various documentaries.
The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, founded in 1974, is the oldest English-speaking film co-op in Canada. It is a member-run registered charity offering equipment and facilities to aid in film making. The cooperative also runs the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2016.
The Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT) is another not-for-profit organisation that facilitates artists working with electronic media including video, audio, and new media. They were located in the CBC Radio Building until it was demolished, and have since relocated to 2238 Maitland Street.
Museums
The city is overlooked by a large museum and national historic site, the Halifax Citadel
Citadel Hill is a hill that is a National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the English in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George—but only ...
not far from the province's Natural History Museum. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The museum is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection of ...
, the oldest and largest maritime museum
A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the militar ...
in Canada explores the cultural and technology of the province's seafaring heritage. Moored beside the Maritime Museum is the museum ship HMCS Sackville
HMCS ''Sackville'' is a that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later served as a civilian research vessel. She is now a museum ship located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the last surviving Flower-class corvette.
Wartime service
''Sackville' ...
, Canada's naval memorial. The city's rich naval history is also presented at the Naval Museum of Halifax
The Naval Museum of Halifax (formerly Admiralty House and Maritime Command Museum) is a Canadian Forces museum located at CFB Halifax in the former official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the North America Station (1819–1905). Also kno ...
in the city's North End. The Pier 21
Pier 21 was an ocean liner terminal and immigration shed from 1928 to 1971 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Nearly one million immigrants came to Canada through Pier 21, and it is the last surviving seaport immigration facility in Canada. The fac ...
Immigration Museum located a former ocean liner
An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships).
Ca ...
immigration shed features Canada's immigration history. Across the harbour, the Dartmouth Heritage Museum preserves the history of the Dartmouth side of the Harbour. The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia in Cherrybrook celebrates the history and culture of African Nova Scotians. A variety of community museums across the municipality showcase community history such as the Fultz House Museum in Sackville and the Musquodoboit Railway Museum in Musquodoboit Harbour
Musquodoboit Harbour is a natural harbour in Canada on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia), Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.
Physical harbour
Located east of Petpeswick Inlet and west of Jeddore Harbour, Musquodoboit Harbour is a 10 km long estuar ...
. Two aviation museums are located in Halifax; the Atlantic Aviation Museum near the Halifax International Airport
Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime pr ...
and the Shearwater Aviation Museum in Eastern Passage
Eastern Passage is an unincorporated suburban community in Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia, Canada.
Eastern Passage has historically been tied to the fishing industry. Its waterfront has several small wharves and piers. The constru ...
.
Tourism
The tourism industry has had a strong influence on the region's cultural activities in recent decades and provides important spin-offs from attendance at various festivals and events throughout the retail, restaurant and accommodation sectors, particularly in the downtown urban core of the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth. In the summer, downtown vendors and buskers cater to cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
passengers and tourists, while destinations such as the Public Gardens, Point Pleasant Park
Point Pleasant Park is a large, mainly forested municipal park at the southern tip of the Halifax peninsula. It once hosted several artillery batteries, and still contains the Prince of Wales Tower - the oldest Martello tower in North America ( ...
, Casino Nova Scotia
Casino Nova Scotia is located in Nova Scotia, Canada, and has locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Sydney. Steelman Partners designed Casino Nova Scotia and its sister casino Sydney Casino.
Halifax casino
The Casin ...
, Citadel Hill and most-famously Peggys Cove
Peggy's Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, St. Margarets Bay in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the site of Peggys Cove Lighthouse (established 1868).
Geography
Peggy's Cov ...
all benefit from visitors attending cultural events.
Festivals and events
The Tall Ships
A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...
came to Halifax Harbour in 1984, 2000, 2004 and 2007. Yacht races such as the biennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race
The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race (MHOR) is a biennial sailing race which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. It runs between Marblehead, Massachusetts and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is believed to be the longest running offshore ocean ra ...
and the Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race (Halifax to St. Pierre) provide additional flavour.
For more than thirty years it has hosted an international military tattoo, which in 2006 was granted the right to be known as the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a show inspired by Military Tattoos given by military bands and display teams. It has taken place annually in Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax since 1979. It is currently held in the Halifax Scotiabank ...
by HRH Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
.
Important festivals include the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Atlantic Film Festival
FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival (known as The Atlantic International Film Festival until 2017) is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. FIN is the largest Canadian film festival eas ...
, the Multicultural Festival, the Greek Summerfest, Halifax Pride, the Lebanese Festival, and the annual International Busker Festival. Halifax also hosts an annual new music festival called the Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name o ...
each fall.
The Halifax Port Authority
The Port of Halifax comprises various port facilities in Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It covers of land, and looks after of water.
Strategically located as North America's first inbound and last outbound gateway, the port of ...
is redeveloping a waterfront area adjacent to its passenger/cruise ship terminal (which includes Pier 21
Pier 21 was an ocean liner terminal and immigration shed from 1928 to 1971 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Nearly one million immigrants came to Canada through Pier 21, and it is the last surviving seaport immigration facility in Canada. The fac ...
) as the Halifax Seaport
The Halifax Seaport is a Canadian commercial development located on the Halifax, Nova Scotia waterfront, at the southern end of the Halifax Boardwalk. It is a re-use of former shipping warehouses. The intent of the multi-year project is to create ...
, promoted as a Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
district.
Entertainment and nightlife
Halifax is reputed to have one of the highest number of bars per capita of any Canadian city; even its QMJHL team is named after a New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
beer company, Moosehead Moosehead may refer to:
* Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad
* Dartmouth Moosehead Dry
*Halifax Mooseheads, a team in the Canadian hockey League that plays in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
*, the name of more than one United States Navy ship
*Moose ...
. Many bars have live music every night of the week and artists performing almost any style of music can be found. Halifax's relatively late last call (between three and four in the morning) means that many party-goers are out into the wee hours of the day. A popular destination after leaving the bars is Pizza Corner
Pizza Corner was an international franchise of pizzeria chains that offered a wide range of pizzas, pastas and side dishes from Buffalo wing, chicken wings to salads. Pizza Corner operated as both standalone restaurants or combined with other G ...
.
The Split Crow Pub is a tavern founded in 1890 and named after the oldest pub in the town, which was the first place in Nova Scotia to get a liquor licence.
Performance venues
Outdoor concerts are often performed on the Halifax Common
The Halifax Common, in local popular usage often referred to as the Commons, is a Canadian urban park in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is Canada’s oldest urban park.
History
The Halifax Common was originally a lightly forested swampy area which fo ...
or the slopes of Citadel Hill. Major indoor concerts most often take place at the Scotiabank Centre
Scotiabank Centre (formerly known as Halifax Metro Centre) is the largest multi-purpose facility in Atlantic Canada, located in the heart of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The main entrances to the building are located on Brunswick Str ...
, a downtown arena.
Other venues include:
* Dalhousie Arts Centre
The Dalhousie Arts Centre, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, contains a number of theatres (including an outdoor rooftop theatre), Dalhousie Art Gallery, classrooms, and a sculpture garden. It remains the premier performing arts ve ...
at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
is home to Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary recital space is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.
History
Symphony Nova Scotia began in 19 ...
** Rebecca Cohn Auditorium (1,023 seats) is the largest concert hall in the province.
** Sir James Dunn Theatre (230 seats)
** Three smaller studio theatres
* Seton Auditorium (1000 seats) is an auditorium at Mount Saint Vincent University
Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate programs in Arts, S ...
with a unique round configuration.
* Spatz Theatre (780 seats) is an auditorium at Citadel High School
Citadel High School is a high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The school opened in September 2007 on the site of the former Bell Road Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College. Its location bordering Bell Road, Trollope Street, and Ahe ...
.
* Bella Rose Arts Centre
The Bella Rose Arts Centre is a community-based proscenium theatre performing arts centre located inside of Halifax West High School in the Clayton Park, Nova Scotia, Clayton Park neighbourhood of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Th ...
(600 seats) is an auditorium at Halifax West High School
Halifax West High School is a Canadian public high school located in the Clayton Park neighbourhood in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Encompassing grades 10 through 12, Halifax West High School offers a variety of courses in bo ...
.
* McNally Theatre (600 seats) is an auditorium at Saint Mary's University.
* Ondaatje Hall (535 seats) is one of the larger lecture halls at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
.
* Neptune Theatre is the premier theatre company in Atlantic Canada.
** Fountain Hall (479 seats)
** Studio Theatre (163–200 seats)
* Paul O'Regan Hall (300 seats) is an auditorium at the Halifax Central Library
The Halifax Central Library is a public library in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on the corner of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street in Downtown Halifax. It serves as the flagship library of the Halifax Public Libraries, repla ...
.
* Alderney Landing
Alderney Landing is a convention centre, art gallery, market, events plaza and theatre facility in Downtown Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It was opened in May 1999. The theatre hosts many concerts, conventions and other events, and is the home of Halif ...
(285 seats) is a convention centre
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
, art gallery
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...
, market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
, and theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
facility in Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth ( ) is an urban community and former city located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the larg ...
.
* The Music Room (110 seats) is noted for its excellent acoustics.
* The Halifax Pavilion is an all-ages club and operates as a venue to foster new performers and offer a stage for burgeoning bands to try out their tunes. It also hosts up-and-coming out of town bands and creates a community among indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
and especially punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
musicians.
* The Paragon (formerly the Marquee Club) is the place for the bigger indie acts in Halifax, in an old, run down looking commercial building in the North End. Considered one of the best live music venues in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
, its stage has hosted a who's who of local and Canadian music staples.
* The Khyber
The Khyber Building is a registered Historical Property owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality on Barrington Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Until 2014, it was operated as an artist-run centre, public art gallery and social space by Khyber Ar ...
is an arts and performance centre on Barrington Street
View southward on Barrington StreetBarrington Street is a major street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, running from the MacKay Bridge in the North End approximately 7 km south, through Downtown Halifax to Inglis Street in the South End. Its ...
.
* Casino Nova Scotia
Casino Nova Scotia is located in Nova Scotia, Canada, and has locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Sydney. Steelman Partners designed Casino Nova Scotia and its sister casino Sydney Casino.
Halifax casino
The Casin ...
has several venues for concerts and events.
** Schooner Showroom
** Compass Room
** The Harbourfront Lounge
See also
* Media in Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax, Nova Scotia is the largest population centre in Atlantic Canada and contains the region's largest collection of media outlets.
Radio
As of 2009, all radio stations in Halifax broadcast on the FM dial. Halifax's last AM radio station 780 ...
References
External links
Tourism, Culture, Heritage Halifax
Destination Halifax
Event Halifax
Dalhousie Arts Centre (Rebecca Cohn)
Halifax Metro Centre
Neptune Theatre
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
{{Halifax Regional Municipality
Tourist attractions in Halifax County, Nova Scotia