🎵 Lane Hall's debut + win dinner for 2 at Stones Throw

Halifax is about to get a lot more colourful

If you have ever admired a mural in this city, there is a good chance you have Mike Burt to thank for it. For years, Burt and his shop Trackside Studios have run the Halifax Mural Festival, the event responsible for so many of the murals that give Halifax its character. The 2026 edition runs July 4 to 11.

More than 40 artists will be up on the walls around the city all week, turning blank brick into large-scale public art. Watching a piece come together over a few days is half the fun, so keep an eye out as you move around town.

There is more than painting on the go, too: the festival includes a movie night, artist talks, and a closing party at Garrison Brewing's newly renovated Seaport location.

MORE DETAILS  →

Halifax's JRDN started a soul band, and Lane Hall's debut is a warm left turn

After a decade of chart-topping solo R&B, Halifax's JRDN is doing something different. He's the front man for the new Halifax-based soul band called Lane Hall, and their self-titled debut is out now. The band includes an all-star lineup (including Halifax MLA Suzy Hansen, who can seriously sing) and trades JRDN's polished R&B sound for a more organic, live-instrumented soul sound.

Catch JRDN next at a song-circle set at Bent Ridge Winery in Windsor on July 26, with Chris Kirby and Adina Fraser.

Listen on Spotify  →

Dinner-for-Two Giveaway

Celtic on the Harbour is back on the waterfront, and we're giving away dinner for two

Every Tuesday this summer, the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront turns its Stone's Throw Patio over to some of the province's best Celtic talent for a free waterfront concert series. Music runs 6:30 to 8:30 PM, right on the harbour, all the way through September 1. We've teamed up with the Marriott to give one subscriber dinner for two at Stone's Throw, so you can pick your Tuesday and make a night of it.

The July lineup

Stone's Throw Patio, 1919 Upper Water St. Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Free.

Enter to Win  →

The world's best paddlers finish their week on Lake Banook

We mentioned this one last week. The ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships run July 1 to 5 on the historic Dartmouth course, about 1,400 athletes from roughly 55 countries, with the finals taking place over the weekend. Admission is free. Check canoehalifax.com for the day-by-day schedule before you head over.

Schedule & Info  →

World Cup 2026

Canada is in the Round of 16 for the first time ever, here's where to watch

A stoppage-time winner against South Africa last weekend sent Canada into the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in the men's team's history. Now we face Morocco on Saturday, July 4 at 2 PM Atlantic.

Where to watch in Halifax

PLUS: Halifax Tides FC host AFC Toronto at the Wanderers Grounds on Sunday, with a Good Robot pre and post-game beer garden alongside it.

Full Viewing Guide  →

Quick Hits

Everything else worth knowing this weekend.

🍖 Harbourside Ribfest takes over Alderney Landing. Touring ribbers, food and live music July 3 to 5, just $2 to get in (Fri and Sat 11 to 10, Sun 11 to 7).

🥁 Last chance for the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. The 2026 run finishes at Scotiabank Centre with evening shows Thursday and Friday at 7 and matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 (kids 18 and under free), plus a free Highland Dance Team set at Scotia Square on Thursday.

🦞 The Pictou Lobster Carnival is worth the day trip. Lobster-boat races, parades and fireworks July 3 to 5, with Gordie Sampson at the deCoste on July 2.

🎸 The Carleton has a stacked weekend. Séan McCann is sold out Friday, then LeafGreen with North of Nowhere and Boboddy on Saturday, and Mel Farrimond's Peregrine Heart EP release on Sunday.

🍛 The Halifax Jollof Festival lands Saturday. A celebration of West African food and culture at Tremont Plateau Park, July 4 from 11 AM to 7 PM.

⚓ The failed 1746 invasion that helped create Halifax. Mass graves tell the story of the doomed Duc d'Anville expedition, in this CBC history longread.

Mark your calendar

Next week is even bigger.

🎷 Halifax Jazz Festival turns 40 (July 7 to 12). Tower of Power, Bahamas, Men I Trust, Broken Social Scene and Rose Cousins, plus free daily waterfront programming.

🏳️‍🌈 Halifax Pride runs July 16 to 26, with the parade Saturday July 18. And RENT opens at Neptune on July 7.

🛒 Weekend Markets

13 markets across the region – Jul 3, 4 + 5.

Friday

7 PM – North by Night Market (2037 Gottingen St, one of three summer editions)

Saturday

8 AM – Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market · Halifax Brewery Farmers' Market · Alderney Landing Farmers' Market · Halifax Forum Farmers' Market · Hubbards Barn Farmers' Market

8:30 AM – Wolfville Farmers' Market

9 AM – Warehouse Market

Sunday

9 AM – Halifax Forum Sunday Flea Market · The Funky Flea ($3 cash)

10 AM – Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market

11 AM – Alderney Landing Sunday Artisan Market

Sunday morning – Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers' Market

Heads up: the Seaport and Brewery markets sit right on the waterfront, an easy add-on to a Canoe Worlds or downtown weekend.