š„ Hali is rockin' this weekend + Dave Culligan's hali-faves
Hey Halifax!
Thereās a lot happening this week with the Olympic Curling Trials and their insane lineup of free live music, an album release show from Lindsay Misiner, a beautiful song of the week from Jenn Grant and Halifavourites from one of the biggest hearts in Hali - Dave Culligan.
Dig in!
Quick Hits
1ļøā£ The Canadian Olympic Curling Trials kick off at Scotiabank Centre this Saturday and run until Sunday. There is an incredible lineup of free live music at The Patch all weekend long. Seriously, check this out if you have the opportunity! Get your tickets here.
š„ Want tickets on us? Reply to this email with āCURLINGā to enter to win 2 tickets to a session of your choosing (based on availability). Winner drawn tonight (Thursday) at 8pm.
2ļøā£ Lindsay Misinerās Album Release Party is tomorrow, November 21. She is a local powerhouse R&B / Soul artist, and if youāve been listening to a ton of Olivia Dean lately (like us), you should really check this out. Grab tickets here.
3ļøā£ Evergreen Festival is a month-long winter party on Halifax's waterfront with 22 market chalets, twinkly lights all over the city, live music, and free activities like a festive train and winter games. It's a great excuse to bundle up, sip hot chocolate, and support local makers and musicians while soaking up holiday vibes from late November to mid-December.
4ļøā£ The Agricola Street Holiday Market was rained out last week and is going down this Sunday afternoon. Stop by The Merry and Bright Patio with the kids for carolling princesses and face-painting, or with the adults for mulled wine and chowder.
5ļøā£ The Halifax Tree Lighting is this Saturday at 6pm at Grand Parade.
The country's best curling teams are competing in Halifax this month to determine who represents Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The city will be cheering on Halifax's own Christina Black and her team as they fight for that spot.
And the live music schedule is incredible. Every major curling event includes a party zone called The Patch - which this week is located in the Halifax Convention Centre. It features nightly live music, entertainment and games, plus a great selection of food and beverages. No ticket required, and minors are permitted until 8 p.m.
Dave Carroll and Rankin MacInnis kick things off in The Patch Saturday night, and you can catch The Mellotones, Maximum Overdrive, Dave Sampson, Moira & Claire, Christina Martin, Signal Hill and more there all week!
Want tickets on us? Reply to this email with āCURLINGā to enter to win 2 tickets to a session of your choosing (based on availability). Winner drawn tonight (Thursday) at 8pm. Weāve also got a giveaway happening over on Instagram.
Dave Culligan launched a daily video project on his iPhone 2015, exploring nearly every community, corner, nook & cranny of Nova Scotia.
Heās since turned that project into World-Class Creative Studio thatās worked with brands like Oakley, Puma, eBay, and Sherwood Hockey from right here in Halifax.
Approaching the 10 year anniversary of that project, he wants to empower youth to explore their province and communities like he did, and to discover their own potential.
We asked him to share what he loves about Halifax in this weekās edition of Halifavourites.
About a year ago, I developed a health issue that requires an extremely limited diet (note: IT BLOWS!)
This reflection was an acute reminder of how much I truly miss my daily run-ins, hugs, laughs & chats at a number of Haliās special spots.
Hit these gems up, alone or with a bud.
Cherish them.
Tell the staff & owners you love and appreciate them and tip them and buy their merchandise and buy 2 of the same item and keep one and give the other way.
Favourite Casual Bite: Banh Mi A&B
Andy & Bellās Quinpool masterpiece holds a very special place in my heart.
Iāve ordered the Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi 80+ times. They do it on a a house-made Viet baguette and itās perfect.
The Pho slaps. Staff rock. No pretense. Gotta do it.
Favourite Chef/Restaurant: Retaās + Stephanie Ogilvie
Iāve been a Steph Ogilvie superfan for a decade now.
Sheās so creative. Her food is FUN. Presentation is always beautiful. Look at her IG!
Thoughtful local veggies & foraged ingredients with stories behind them.
She is a warrior and an artist. Protect her at all costs!
Favourite Person: Eddie āSWEEā
What a fucking gift this beautiful soul is to our city.
His impact on culture in Halifax in recent years has been immeasurable.
At his Chinese New Year show I watched ~150 young, stylish Chinese kids dance & sing along to the Cantonese Disco their parents must have listened to. Wait, Halifax???
Give him the key to the city. Or at least an abandoned warehouseā¦
Favourite Bar: Ostrich Club
My friends who know what theyāre talking about love this place.
Dope cocktails. Food is excellent (& unique). Has to be one of the most knowledgeable teams in Atlantic Canada? Even if none of that were true, Iād go just for the rap playlist.
If you can, sit with your back to the window on Young St.
Favourite Chill Activity: Carbon Arc
An independent cinema in the basement of the Museum of Natural History? Like, where Gus lives? And they adorably sell snacks at plastic fold-up tables like a fundraiser at a school dance and refuse to use social media?
Actually, nevermind. Thereās a new Marvel out thatās supposed to be NUTS!
Favourite Cafe: Byron
The owners must have made a deal with the devil because thereās just NO WAY they built such a rich & multi-faceted sense of community, in such a short time, without some serious satanic intervention. Rumour has it, the [gorgeous] red accent paint is actually blood from a ritualistic sacrifice of sorts. Not a rumour Iād spread, personally, just something I heard.
Also, what a great patio!
Favouriteā¦ Garden?: The Public Gardens
Underrated. Precious. Nostalgic. I stumbled into the gardens on a Summer Sunday at like 2pm and The Mellotones were lighting it up in the band stand. Should that be our āWinter Warmersā of next summer? Colin Mitchellās Saturday morning historic walking tours are a delight.
I hereby re-open the reward for info on the tree vandal at 1 MILLION dollars!
Favourite Community Night: Night of Adventure
A wild & beautiful man, Dave Greene has been gathering outdoorsy/creative Nova Scotians for ~12 years, to celebrate the spirit of adventure through wholesome community events rooted in storytelling. They get a huge showing for their annual film festival & proceeds subsidize adventures for deserving individuals. Iād love to see more talented young filmmakers getting in on this next year. Iāll help if you have an idea.
Today is my mothers birthday, she would have been 76 š
This is the story of when we met Jim Cuddy at the JUNOs back in 2012. She was wearing a dress that weād picked out together. It was actually chosen not only for its colour and fabric but because it also helped to conceal the swelling in her stomach and liver from the metastatic breast cancer.
I grew up listening to Blue Rodeo in the house, and my mother, like so many Canadians, was such a big fan of Jim Cuddy.
So when I saw him standing there in the lobby on his own, I decided it would be ok to introduce ourselves. What a strange and magical moment now that I think back on it. When I took their photo, it was the last time I saw her sparkly blue eyes shining bright. Jim, who is now a very dear friend, didnāt know how much that moment meant, or even that she was sick, but I think the flight home might have been the thing that pushed her over the edge. She died 3 weeks later. Just before she left us, she said sheād like to be laid to rest in the āJim Cuddy Dressā.
So this song is about the last time we saw her, said goodbye in that moment, like it was a movie, in a little funeral home in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. On that day, it was just my brother, my husband and our dog Charlie that mom and I shared. Charlie and I danced as Danny played Beach Boys songs on the organ, my mother in her dress, still beautiful as ever. This was āthe make-believe funeral.
Thursday, 11/20
Bearly's Trivia with Kieran! @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 6:30 PM
Story Night At The Carleton @ The Carleton - 7:30 PM
Dallas Smith Unplugged @ Casino Nova Scotia - 8 PM
Sasha Brideau feat. Tevon Tynes and Micheal Arbou @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 9 PM
Friday, 11/21
Halifax Crafters Society Winter Show @ Light House Arts Centre - 5 PM - 9 PM
Burnt Reynolds @ The Woodside Tavern - 8 PM
Hobo Aquarium Live Album Recording + Colrain @ The Carleton - 8 PM
Peter White at Yuk Yuk's Halifax @ Yuk Yuk's Halifax Comedy Club - 8 PM
CONCERT FOR SOCKS @ Seahorse Tavern - 8 PM
The Mellotones @ Pacifico - 8:30 PM
Buck Tingley @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 9:30 PM
SLURP: Lord of the G Strings @ Marquee Ballroom - 10 PM
Saturday, 11/22
Halifax Crafters Society Winter Show @ Light House Arts Centre - 10 AM - 5 PM
Pain is a Private Object ā Halifax International Theatre @ The Bus Stop Theatre
Buddy Daniels Trio @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 4 PM
The Last Waltz Halifax 2025 @ Marquee Ballroom - 7 PM
Peter White at Yuk Yuk's Halifax @ Yuk Yuk's Halifax Comedy Club - 8 PM
Dallas Smith Unplugged @ Casino Nova Scotia - 8 PM
Seamus Dempster Band + Evan Dempster @ The Carleton - 8 PM
Trout + Friends @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 9:30 PM
DISCOTHEQUE @ Seahorse Tavern - 10 PM
Sunday, 11/23
Halifax Crafters Society Winter Show @ Light House Arts Centre - 10 AM - 5 PM
India Gailey & Taryn Kawaja @ The Carleton - 7 PM
Sunday Sesh @ The Basement of The Shoe - 8 PM
Legendary Sunday Night Blues Jam @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 8 PM
Michael Lloyd @ Durty Nelly's Irish Pub - 10 PM
DJ IV & DJ Enzo @ TOOTHY MOOSE CABARET - 12 AM
Monday, 11/24
Morgan Davis @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 7:30 PM
Jordan LeBlanc @ Durty Nelly's Irish Pub - 10 PM
Tuesday, 11/25
Tacos & Trivia by Wave Foods @ The Local Restaurant and Bar - 7 PM
Food starts at 4pm, Trivia at 7pm
Garrett Mason @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 8:30 PM
Wednesday, 11/26
Lucky Line Queer Line Dancing @ The Bus Stop Theatre - 7 PM
Gin & Jazz @ The Local Restaurant and Bar - 7:30 PM
Catherine Robertson Comedy Hour @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 8 PM
Karaoke with Mimi! @ Bearly's House of Blues & Ribs - 10 PM
Thatās it for this week!
Got an event we should know about? Hit reply and let us know!
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