Halifax Harbour Festival Celebrations Modified for Weather
The threat of heavy rain and high winds has forced organizers to make changes to the schedule of events for the Halifax Harbour Festival this weekend.
Most outdoor activities -- including all activities planned for Bedford and the harbour shuttle tours -- are either cancelled or have been moved indoors.
The festival family picnic in Bedford has been cancelled, but the entertainment booked to perform in DeWolfe Park on Saturday has been rescheduled for Sunday afternoon in the Cruise Pavillion next to Pier 21 National Historic Site in Halifax.
Celebrations will continue at all other waterfront venues: Alderney Landing, Dartmouth; Fisherman's Cove and McCormacks Beach Provincial Park in Eastern Passage; and the Halifax Harbourwalk.
"To ensure the safety of the entertainers, volunteers and festival-goers, we feel it's the responsible thing to cancel the activities planned for outdoors" said Bill Campbell, acting president of Waterfront Development Corporation Limited, presenters of the Harbour Festival. "We would like to thank all the festival partners and sponsors who had worked with us to put together a great program for Bedford, as well as the exhibitors who were going to be set up in tents along Queen's Landing in Halifax."
"Just as we thought we had to cancel all those great performers — the Halifax Port Authority stepped up to the plate and offered the use of the cruise pavillion for what we're now calling a storm party," said David Jones, managing director of the Halifax Harbour Festival. "The performers have been incredibly accommodating. Miraculously, every single one of them was available to perform on Sunday. So come join us for a big indoor party."
In Dartmouth, the festival events at Alderney Landing are now taking place indoors. The two afternoon concerts for the Dutch Mason Blues Festival launch will be held inside Alderney Landing, and the boardwalk artists at Alderney Landing will now be demonstrating their craft inside the ferry terminal building, across the pedway and inside the main entrance to Alderney Gate by the public library.
In Eastern Passage, activities will proceed as planned regardless of weather, with the exception of Sunday's trips to McNabs Island. The live music performances, storytelling for children and EcoTheatre presentation all take place in two large tents, and the nature art exhibit is already indoors, at the Marine Interpretive Centre in Fisherman's Cove. Nature and history tours will also proceed on both afternoons, as long as rain and wind are not too heavy.
Many of the attractions planned for the Halifax Harbour Festival -- a community celebration of the role of the harbour in the history, culture and economy of the province -- were already set to take place indoors. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, for example, is offering a rare full access pass to the CSS Acadia, a 92-year-old steamship and the largest artifact in the museum's collection. And there's still plenty for visitors of all ages to see and do inside the main building.
The only other outdoor performances scheduled for the festival weekend are the two afternoon shows in the Bishop's Landing concert series. The Saturday songwriters' circle with Nathan Wiley, Norma MacDonald, Ruth Minnikin and Dale Murray, and the Sunday afternoon show with fiddlers Mairi Rankin and Wendy MacIsaac are set to proceed unless the weather is particularly bad. Call the information line at 902-423-8508 for updates.
For full details on all events and activities taking place during the Halifax Harbour Festival, or to register as a volunteer, visit the festival's website at www.HalifaxHarbourFestival.ca . Weather updates will be posted on the site throughout the weekend.
The Halifax Harbour Festival is presented by Waterfront Development Corporation Limited, a provincial Crown corporation that plans, co-ordinates, promotes and develops properties, events and activities on designated waterfronts around Halifax Harbour.