Culture Of Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Hosting the region's largest urban population,
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
is an important cultural centre in
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...
. 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 () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
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: 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 of all kno ...
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).


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 which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
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, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
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 and also the Young Company which tours Nova Scotian schools and annually presents
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...
. The other major dance organization in Halifax is the School of Dance at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. 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 Foot ...
and
Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
traditional to the various forms of indie. It is the home of Symphony Nova Scotia, 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, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
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 rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...
, Universal Soul, Classified, Wintersleep,
April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn until his death in 2023. April Wine first experienced success with their second album, ' ...
, and The Joel Plaskett Emergency. During the 1990s, Halifax was excitedly billed as the next
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
because of its vibrant
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
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 1991 by Jo ...
, and
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (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 (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...
. Halifax is the home of the
Halifax Pop Explosion The Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX) 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 n ...
, 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 from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
, K'naan,
The Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (g ...
, Pains of Being Pure at Heart 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 over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
recently held the largest concert the city has ever witnessed on September 23, 2006, on the Halifax Commons.


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 (NSCAD), is a public university, public art school, art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution tha ...
, 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 museums of Canada, provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up ...
, 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 v ...
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 ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
'' (1997), '' The Shipping News'', 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 National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the British in 1749, and were referred to as For ...
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 o ...
, 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 navy, navies and the m ...
in Canada explores the cultural and technology of the province's seafaring heritage. Moored beside the Maritime Museum is the museum ship HMCS Sackville, Canada's naval memorial. The city's rich naval history is also presented at the Naval Museum of Halifax in the city's North End. The Pier 21 Immigration Museum located a former
ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for 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). The ...
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 Cherry Brook 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. 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.


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 Tourism, tours k ...
passengers and tourists, while destinations such as the Public Gardens, Point Pleasant Park, Casino Nova Scotia, Citadel Hill and most-famously Peggys Cove all benefit from visitors attending cultural events.


Festivals and events

The
Tall Ships A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, 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 r ...
came to Halifax Harbour in 1984, 2000, 2004 and 2007. Yacht races such as the biennial Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race 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 the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax since 1979. It is currently held in the Halifax Scot ...
by HRH
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 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. ...
. Important festivals include the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the
Atlantic Film Festival The Atlantic International Film Festival is a major international film festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada since 1980. AIFF is the largest Canadian film festival east of Montreal, regularly premiering the region's top films of ...
, 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 (HPX) 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 n ...
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) as the
Halifax Seaport The Halifax Seaport is a Canadian commercial development located on the Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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 ...
, promoted as a
Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...
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 is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
beer company, Moosehead. 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. 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 or the slopes of Citadel Hill. Major indoor concerts most often take place at the Scotiabank Centre, 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 v ...
at
Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
is home to Symphony Nova Scotia ** 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 Arts, Science, Edu ...
with a unique round configuration. * Spatz Theatre (780 seats) is an auditorium at Citadel High School. * Bella Rose Arts Centre (600 seats) is an auditorium at
Halifax West High School Halifax West High School is a Canadian public high school located in the Lacewood neighbourhood in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Encompassing grades 10 through 12, Halifax West High School offers a variety of courses in both ...
. * 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, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
. * 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. * Alderney Landing (285 seats) is a
convention centre A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...
,
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 long ...
,
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 *Marketing, the act of sat ...
, and
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
facility in
Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dartmouth ( ) (Scottish Gaelic, Scottish-Gaelic: Baile nan Loch) is a Urban area, built-up community of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has 101 ...
. * 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 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 (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...
, its stage has hosted a who's who of local and Canadian music staples. *
The Khyber The Khyber Centre for the Arts (est. 1995) is a queer-led artist-run centre located in downtown Halifax NS. The centre presents non-commercial artwork, offers a self-led platform for artists and their practices, and aims to disrupt systemic caus ...
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 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 78 ...


References


External links


Tourism, Culture, Heritage HalifaxDestination HalifaxEvent HalifaxDalhousie Arts Centre (Rebecca Cohn)Halifax Metro CentreNeptune TheatreArt Gallery of Nova Scotia
{{Halifax Regional Municipality Tourist attractions in Halifax County, Nova Scotia