Of the nearly 1 million people who live in Nova Scotia, the most southeasterly of Canada's three maritime provinces, about 400,000 of them live in greater Halifax, the provincial capital. Not surprisingly, this charming, culturally rich coastal city has the nation's largest GLBT community of any city east of Montreal. It's also the site of Atlantic Canada's largest Pride even - Halifax Gay Pride takes place in late July. The dates this year of this 10-day festival are July 18 through July 28, 2013, with the main event - the Halifax Pride Festival and Parade - taking place on Saturday, July 27.
Book rooms and compare rates on hotels in Halifax during Gay Pride.
More on Halifax Pride 2013 will appear here as the dates approach - here's a look at last year's event:
Halifax Pride's festivities take place over 10 days, starting off with the Queer Acts Theatre Festival, which features several days of edgy, intriguing queer-themed drama and performance.
Other events during Pride week include movie nights, a Purple color party, a Pride Flag raising at City Hall, drag bingo, cruises on the tall ship Silva, and a dance party on Friday night, from 9 pm until 1 am at Garrison Grounds.
On Saturday, Garrison Grounds is also the site of the Halifax Pride Festival, with a community fair as well as performances by Young Kaii, Kevin Wong, and the Mellotones; followed in the evening by the WetSpot dance party (also at Garrison Grounds), from 9 pm to 2 am (tickets for the party are $18 at the gate, $15 in advance). There's also a downtown fireworks display at 10 pm.
The Halifax Pride Parade also takes place on Saturday at 1:30 in the center of Halifax. The procession heads along Barrington Street to Citadel Hill. This is Canada's fourth largest Pride Parade, with Toronto Gay Pride considered the largest.
Additionally, gay-popular bars, restaurants, hotels, and shops in the area have more going on than usual during Pride week. Check online resources about the Halifax gay scene, such as Wayves, the GLBT magazine of Atlantic Canada, and the Fun Maps Halifax Gay Guide. Also take a look at the excellent gay travel site produced by the city's official tourism organization, Visit Halifax.
