Nowadays Festival is in full swing—what you need to know

The second-annual Nowadays Festival in Dartmouth officially kicks off on Oct. 10 with an incredible lineup of musicians and poets from around the country.

Having started last year hoping to fill a void left by the Halifax Pop Explosion, Nowadays features an array of artists from vastly different genres and styles in venues across Dartmouth. While last year’s festival stuck to local acts, organizer Dylan Jewers says they’ve expanded to include acts from across Canada, including singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle, Montreal rockers Laughing, and even acclaimed poet and author Gillian McCain of Please Kill Me fame.

While there’s plenty he’s excited for, McCain’s author interview and poetry reading on Saturday, Oct. 12 is something Jewers can’t wait to see. The interview will take place at the Alderney Library, while the reading will be held at Cafe Good Luck alongside musician Alexander Gallant. Both events are free to the public.

“For me personally, that’s something that’s very exciting,” he says in an interview with The Coast. “I’ve been trying to work with Gillian for a few years now, so I’m very happy that’s all worked out. She’s a bit of a hero to me.”

Jewers is also pumped for P’tit Belliveau, an Acadian musician from St. Mary’s Bay who is best known for his song “Income Tax”. He plays at the Alderney Theatre on Friday, Oct. 11. Tickets for this event can be purchased here.

“I think (it’s) probably the most exciting event, in size and scope,” says Jewers.

The full lineup includes many other artists from here and away, including gloom poppers Dog Day, recent MusicNL Solo Artist of the Year winner Valmy, and also an interview with queer activist and author Rebecca Rose.

While some events are ticketed, there are several, such as the McCain talk and reading, that are free of charge or pay what you can. Jewers says this decision was made to give people “a mix of stuff” to go to.

“It just makes sense to just allow people to, you know, if they want to spend a lot of money on going to a bunch of ticketed shows, that’s great,” he says. “But if they want to just pop in and see some free stuff, or some stuff where they can pay a nickel or pay 20 bucks if they choose, it’s just nice. It’s nice to give that option to folks.”

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For tech director Joel Waddell, this also gives the community a chance to experience a festival all about them.

“It’s a walkable, community-based festival,” says Waddell. “It’s community building, essentially. We’re trying to establish familiarity within Dartmouth that we can be like a music hub, and that the communities have to support it not just in ticket sales, but for free events and also sponsorships.”

A full list of events can be found on Nowadays’ Instagram page, and links to tickets can be found via their Linktree website.