Let’s hope the sun is shining and the weather warms up because Halifax, this weekend is bonkers. Bike Week, Cedar Fest and Doors Open are all jockeying for your time (along with some sidewalk shopping from curbside giveaway), but Saturday is the day to check out 100 in 1 Day. The global festival for citizen engagement returns to Halifax for its second year, uniting Halifax’s talent in small initiatives to spark big changes. There’s almost 100 “urban interventions” available to check out on Saturday. Here are just a few highlights.
9:30am — Yoga on the Farm
by Commons Roots Urban Farm
Greet the day with an all-levels yoga class at the Commons Roots Urban Farm. Practice your poses or experience yoga for the first time in the this outdoor community garden. Mats and props will only be available for up to ten people, so you might want to bring your own.
12-4pm — Board games and Super Heroes
by Hal-Con & The Board Room Cafe
Meet your favourite super friends and play with some oversized board games in this throwback to the nostalgia of Saturday morning cartoons. Bring along a sense of adventure and fun to the front lawn of the Museum of Natural History.
10am-12:30pm — Squid dissections and demos
by Aram Abbasian, Madison Dobrovolskis, Casey Jones and Yaeesh Sardiwalla
The Dalhousie Golden Key Society will be dissecting squid (and other marine animals) as part of the Discovery Centre’s Ocean Bound exhibit’s grand opening. Get some up close experience with ocean science.
10am-2pm — Craftivism and More with the Halifax Blue Dot Movement
by Heather Elliott and Katie Perfitt
Share the desire for an environmentally-friendly city by chalking the sidewalk with messages of support, decorating postcards for Halifax councillors or participating in a collective yarnbombing. Crochet hooks are optional. A cheeky attitude is a must.
11am-2pm — Grapefruit Segments
by Andrew Patterson and Nick Dourado
A series of three improvised musical performances based around the three public pianos by fellow 100 in 1 installation PlayMeHFX. Dourado will improvise the music, Patterson will interject with poetry. The series takes place at the Alderney Ferry Terminal and Queen’s Wharf first, but will arrive at Grand Parade for 1pm.
9am-4:30pm — Wave of Waste
by Anika Riopel, Rachel Manett, Dylan Ames, Cameron Christensen, Maryann Watson, Elizabeth Edmonson, Hilary MacDonell, Erin Keenan, Karen Mills and Adonika Clark
Watch as these installation leaders and local high school students design and construct a replica of the famous waterfront “Wave” sculpture by Donna Hiebert. Get an idea of the sort of marine waste found in our oceans while helping to construct a some new art.
10am-7pm — Gracious Halifax
by Jessica Melindy
Need a break? This part of your tour is the perfect opportunity to visit artist Jessica Melinda’s space for relaxation and contemplation. Gracious will only accommodate one person at a time, to encourage people to take time for themselves in a busy day and promote patience and kindness.
12-4pm — Game Design Play-test Party
by Jon-Paul Decosse, Sam Fraser and Richard Courchesne
The Tabletop Game Designers of Halifax need your help to develop some local board games. Stop by the Board Room and test out one of their prototypes on your way back up from the waterfront.
10am-6pm — HFX Outlooks
by Sarah Dobson
Get connected at Atlantic News for this storytelling hub. Attendees are encouraged to tell a story about something that’s happened to them, which will be recorded for possible publication. Come share a part of yourself and hear from your neighbours.
11am-2pm — Safe Space Halifax
by Dee Dooley
The voice of the youth will be amplified in this art piece dedicated to safe spaces in Halifax. Young women will be asked where they feel safe and how they could feel safer in our city.
10-11:45am — Pop Up Sex Ed
by South House
Five-minute safer sex sessions will be offered, to showcase how everyone has the right to accurate, unbiased and comprehensive information about their bodies and their health.
2-4pm — Circus of the Normal parade
by Courtney Harris, Kat Stein and Brian Riley
While you’re at the Library, get ready for a “dreamlike, surreal, magical, extraordinary, outrageous” parade back north to the Halifax Common. Circus of the Normal encourages everyone to bring their own masks, costumes, instruments, props, juggling balls, bubbles, stilts and unicycles. A 30-minute “big jam” will happen once the coterie arrives on the Common.
And that’s just a handful. There are 90 “urban interventions” happening all over the city—from the waterfront to Armdale, from Bedford to Eastern Passage. Go out and see what the creative, cool people in Halifax have to offer.
