Hot Summer Guide

Bruce the rickshaw puller How many of your passengers are from out of town? This year, I’ve only had out of town passengers. At Buskers it’s more Halifax or Nova Scotian people, but tourists when cruise ships come and stuff. Where are most of them from? The cruise ship here today is from the States, […]

Raina the Mermaid has communicated with seals on the eastern shore, dodged jellyfish in the Atlantic Ocean and been chased by snapping turtles in the lakes of HRM. Raina has wavy red hair and wears a seashell bra. From her head to the tip of her scaled, orange tail, she is more than seven feet […]

Worst Case Scenario #1: You’re getting creeped on A nightclub can be a great time. Or it can be like piranha-infested waters, with those gold chain-sporting dude-bros circling the edge of the dance floor and looking for someone unsuspecting to dry-hump in an off-tempo rhythm. We’re conditioned to be polite in the Maritimes, but brutal […]

Dartmouth Players presents Be My Baby Dartmouth Players is ending the season on a comedic note, with a light-hearted play about a Scotsman and an Englishwoman who travel to San Francisco to pick up a baby for their young relatives. Sounds funny, although a “caution, amateur actors using tricky accents” warning may be warranted. With […]

July 1-3 Stan Rogers Folk Festival On the eve of the 15th anniversary of Canso’s Stan Rogers Folk Festival, I remain amazed at how consistently the calibre of the lineup sneaks up on me. This year features the legendary folksinger Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame) and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Dan Hill. Former Broken Social Scene-ster Jason Collett is also on […]

Two teenage girls run over to three bikers who’ve just put their helmets on. “Hey, can we get a picture with you guys?” they ask, with huge smiles on their faces. “Sure, yeah, why not?” is the general consensus. The three friends, who were just about to leave the harbourside, wrap their arms around the […]

Steve-O-Reno’s Cappuccino There are a few little tables out front of this popular coffee spot, but the front porch is so small that scoring an outdoor seat can be tough. This is a problem no longer: Steve-O-Reno’s upstairs neighbor, Spree—a vintage clothing and fashion shop— has access to a beautiful public space on the coffee […]

Anne of Green Gables is drawing Prince William and Kate Middleton to PEI this summer, but you’d be hard-pressed to name a book that would entice royalty to Halifax. Nova Scotia’s literature too often draws on pastoral tradition or promotes the lighthouses-and-bagpipes image of the province on view along the waterfront. So, where’s Halifax’s urban […]

Start by taking the ferry across the harbour. It’s like being “Screeched In” in Newfoundland, really. Well, you’ll be less hammered at the end of the experience, but you’ll feel like a local. Depending on the time of year, you could be enveloped in a pea-soup fog or get the best harbour view to be […]

Off the beaten path of Spryfield’s main drag, down a quiet suburban street, both prizefighters and plebes gather under the blaze of fluorescent lights in the Lion’s Club to throw their weight around in the ring and throw delighted scorn from the sidelines. The Lion’s gymnasium is the regular stomping grounds for a loose band […]

To July 3 Second Impressions Image, text and sound interplay in print media artist Dan O’Neill’s curation of lithographs, poetry and cool jazz. When curator Peter Dykhuis asked O’Neill to imagine an exhibition of Motherwell and de Kooning lithographs—limited edition prints paired with the poetry of Octavio Paz and Frank O’Hara, respectively—he jumped at the […]

Well, it’s hard to get much cooler than Taz Records (1593 Market Street) if you’re looking to familiarize yourself with the best music. Ask them to show you local artists among the great vinyl. Start there, then figure out where you’re going to eat, drink and take in some live music. This area of downtown, […]