Organizers of the Halifax Jazz Festival say they were left shocked and heartbroken after discovering their 60-foot festival banner had been stolen, just one week before opening night of the long-running summer event.
The banner, which was installed at the corner of Barrington Street and South Street, was taken sometime between the night of Monday, July 7, and the early morning of Tuesday, July 8. The theft, which was reported publicly by festival organizers on social media, prompted an outpouring of concern — and a generous act of support from a local college.
“As a non-profit organization, every dollar we spend is carefully considered,” the festival said in an Instagram post. “This banner was created not only to promote this year’s festival, but to beautify our site and be reused for years to come.”
Organizers say the banner was a key part of the festival’s long-term signage plan — designed with durability and environmental sustainability in mind. Rather than printing new promotional materials each year, the banner was intended to serve multiple seasons, reducing waste and saving resources.
“We’re heartbroken,” the post continued. “We pour everything into bringing music to this city — including offering 70 per cent of our programming for free. So when something like this happens, it really stings.”
The Halifax Jazz Festival, now in its 39th year, is the largest summer music event in Atlantic Canada and a staple of the city’s cultural calendar. Though the loss of the banner was a blow, the response from the community offered a much-needed lift.
Soon after the theft was made public, the graphic and print production program at Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) Ivany campus stepped in with an offer to reprint the banner — at no cost to the festival.
“This generous gesture speaks to the power of local collaboration and the deep support for arts and culture in Halifax,” festival staff said in a news release.
NSCC Ivany campus principal Kathleen Allen praised the efforts of faculty and students who volunteered their time and skills.
“The Halifax Jazz Festival has become such a quintessential part of summer in the city,” Allen said. “I’m proud of our faculty — led by Tanya Boudreau and Doug Lewis — along with second-year student Levi Adams, for stepping up and supporting a community institution.”
Festival executive director Tenille Goodspeed said the loss of the banner was more than just financial.
“We designed that banner with reuse and sustainability in mind — not just as a one-off,” Goodspeed said. “To have it taken felt like a real loss, but what came next reminded us how incredible this community is.”
Goodspeed added that NSCC’s immediate and generous response was more than an act of kindness — it was a message that people care about local culture, music, and sustainable event practices.
The replacement banner is now proudly displayed at the festival site along the Halifax waterfront. Organizers are encouraging visitors to stop by, take a photo, and enjoy the week’s lineup of live music, most of which is free to the public.
The 2025 TD Halifax Jazz Festival officially opens Tuesday, July 15, and runs through Sunday, July 20. More than 70 per cent of performances this year are offered at no cost, reflecting the festival’s mission to make live music accessible to all.
Festival organizers are still asking anyone with information about the original banner’s whereabouts to reach out confidentially at info@halifaxjazzfestival.ca. It can also be returned — no questions asked — to the construction site where it was taken or directly to the festival grounds.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2025.
