August is nearly halfway over, but that doesn’t mean summer is finished. There’s plenty to do in Halifax this weekend, from marking musical milestones to tasting craft beers from across the Maritimes to enjoying world-famous stand-up acts. Allow us to be your weekend guide with these Coast picks:
1.Celebrate 50 years of hip hop at the Halifax Public Library. It was a balmy South Bronx evening on August 11, 1973 when an 18-year-old Clive Campbell (better known as DJ Kool Herc) hosted a “Back to School Jam” in the apartment tower rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. That day, Herc had a trick up his sleeve: He’d been practicing to loop the best drum breaks on his turntable—turning his record player, in effect, into an instrument of its own. It went on to birth a genre that has survived a half-century (and counting), becoming one of the world’s most beloved music forms in the process.
To mark hip hop’s 50th birthday, the Halifax Public Library is hosting a series of events throughout the week—including an art exhibit at the central branch (5440 Spring Garden Road) that wraps on Friday, and a free Friday film screening of 2008’s I Am Hip Hop. Performances from the likes of DJ Grimrock and Paollo 13 will cap the evening.
2.Try craft beer and ciders from across the Maritimes and beyond. Feeling thirsty? The Halifax Seaport Cider & Beerfest kicks off Thursday, Aug. 10 with more than 300 craft beers, ciders and craft seltzers available from across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and beyond. The outdoor festival runs until Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Halifax Seaport. Deejays Karate Kactus and Randora will be on the decks, and Asado, Smokinstein and Dominic’s Cucina will be on-site with food. Tickets range from $35 to $65.
3.Enjoy a night of stand-up at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival. Comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr and Anthony Jeselnik are headlining the new comedy festival, which will take over the Garrison Grounds at the foot of the Halifax Citadel from Friday to Sunday. Tickets are sold out for Seinfeld and Burr on Friday and Sunday, respectively, but as of Wednesday, some remain for Jeselnik’s Saturday show. Jeselnik—who’s known for dark humour—broke through in 2009 as one of Comedy Central’s breakout acts of the year, alongside Aziz Ansari, Donald Glover and Whitney Cummings. He’ll be joined Saturday by Indian-American comic Zarna Garg and Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Longfellow.
4.Cheer on the Anchor City Rollers. Halifax’s own roller derby league turns 13 this summer—and to celebrate, the league is hosting its first game in Halifax since 2019. (Ever seen the movie Whip It? That’s roller derby.) Two years of COVID-19 safety precautions shut down the full-contact sport in Halifax, and the league is picking up where things left off. “The pandemic was rough—not being able to skate or connect with each other and our community was hard,” says Lyndsay Anderson, who goes by Bloxie Hart in the roller arena. The Rollers will be scrimmaging at the Mayflower Curling Club at 3pm on Saturday, Aug. 12. Admission is $10 at the door. Kids under 12 get in free.
5.See the Halifax Wanderers battle for a soccer playoff spot. The Wanderers fell short on Monday against Canadian Premier League leaders Pacific FC, but have a chance to rebound this Saturday, Aug. 12 at home to league bottom-dwellers Vancouver FC. Halifax—currently in 6th place—has 10 games remaining in the regular season, and only seven points separate the club from the league’s top seed. Look for new forward Jordan Perruzza—brought in on loan from Toronto FC—to make an impact this weekend: In 28 minutes against PFC, he nearly scored twice. Kickoff against Vancouver FC is at 4pm at Wanderers Grounds. Tickets start at $27.85.
6.Catch the Barr Brothers at the Light House Arts Centre. The Juno-nominated Barr Brothers were, quite literally, born out of a bedroom wall. Brothers Brad and Andrew Barr had recently moved to Montreal from the States after a decade in the avant-rock band The Slip, when Brad happened to hear harp music filtering through from his neighbour’s apartment. That neighbour turned out to be Sarah Pagé, who became a founding member of the Barr Brothers’ new band.
Since that fateful meeting, the indie folk group has performed at Red Rocks with My Morning Jacket and appeared twice on the Late Show with David Letterman. The band is currently working on a third full-length album and performs this Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Light House Arts Centre (1800 Argyle Street). Tickets are $39.31 in advance and $44.45 on the day of the show.
7.Hop on your bike and lobby for safe streets for cycling. The next Kidical Mass bike ride takes place in Halifax’s north end this Sunday, Aug. 13. The grassroots event—in which riders are encouraged to gather together en masse and ride a planned loop—is part of a broader social movement pushing for cities to build safe cycling infrastructure for kids and families. Halifax has plans for a 57-kilometre network of all-ages-and-abilities (AAA) bicycle routes through the HRM’s core, but the region’s rollout has drawn criticism from some corners for lacking in ambition. One planned element of the bike network, a new bike flyover for the Macdonald Bridge, was delayed from 2021 to 2024. There are still no protected lanes or multi-use pathways to connect residents south of the Northwest Arm to the peninsula, either.
Sunday’s ride will start and end at St. Stephen’s Elementary School (corner of Normandy Drive and Highland Avenue). The ride begins at 10am.
8.Celebrate all things comic-related at the Dartmouth Comic Arts Festival. Since 2012, the DCAF has taken over Alderney Landing for a celebration of graphic novels, comics and cartoons. This year, comic artists Ed Brisson (who has written for DC and Marvel), Lynette Richards (Call Me Bill) and Kyle Vingoe-Cram (Kettle Harbour) will be among the authors and artists signing books at the festival. It runs from 10am-5pm on Sunday, Aug. 13. Admission is free.
