This year was a stellar year for the Nocturne crew. Considering it's all volunteer, it was VERY…read morewell planned and perfectly executed. Their use of social media was outstanding this year (which last year lacked). Facebook and twitter were a buzz with Nocturne posts. The atmosphere on the street was awesome. Happy, relaxed, and just plain 'ol fun. It was easy to tell the "bar goers" from the "Nocturne crawlers" from the way they were dressed, Nocturnites were sporting layers, whilst the bar people sported mini skirts that could have been belts (not that I'm complaining). Many small businesses stayed open late to accommodate the 20,000+ people that hit Halifax for the evening. It's good to see a city pull together for an art event, now that we see the cities potential we need to do it more (not just art events). 5 stars all the way Nocturne! Already looking forward and planning next year!

Wow! How can you not give this event a strong five. The work alone that was put into it, I thought…read morewas fabulous. This was my first time being part of this event and what a night it turned out to be. I was amazed at the amount of people that filled out streets, around five thousand I believe. My favorite was the "Car Wash", that song along brought back memories. The waterfront had a fabulous outdoor acrobatic event. Also - we went to where you could talk on a cell phone to people around the world, our person was in Cambodia. I will say, I think they need to make it a two day event next year. There was too much for us to cover and it had so many zones in all areas of the downtown core, it even expanded to Dartmouth which I hear had a roller rink, how cool is that. One thing Please: Put the map and details up sooner on the website for everyone to look at so you can map out your evening or you could do as us, roll the dice and hope you hit something you like. I loved the DD bus to get from zone to zone. See you on the streets!

It's been suggested that there isn't a bigger fan of Polish Fest than I, potentially even within…read morethe Polish community. 2011 will either be my sixth or seventh time attending Polish Fest, and this is not including the other Polish events I've attended at St. Anthony's Parish in Dartmouth. Polish Fest is one of my favourite weekends of the year. I anticipate it highly for months, then weeks, the days, then hours! The madness began when a friend of mine mentioned he danced in a Polish dance group in Dartmouth. With intense curiosity and intrigue, I gathered a posse and we headed to Dartmouth to check out Polish Fest. All it took was hammering a few glasses of straight Polish vodka, enjoying a bit of cake, and being blown away by some fine Polish Folk dancing. I was hooked. Polish Fest is a celebration of Polish heritage and culture. The main focus of the festival is showcasing the work of Pomorze, Dartmouth's amazingly talented and hardworking Polish dance ensemble. Its members range from young kids to older adults, and the dresses are colourful, gorgeous and a definite sight to behold-- especially when being twirled around in the air, seemingly effortlessly, by buff gents in handsome wool suits and boots. The dancing itself is worth the visit alone, but there're other activities, displays and events each year. The event itself is free, and you pay reasonable prices for food, drinks, authentic crafts, and tickets to win door prizes as you wish. I'm vegetarian so I haven't tried many of the delicious dishes available at Polish Fest, but there are many delights to be had including pierogies (which I tried last year-- whoa!), Hunter's Stew, sausages with sauerkraut, a wide and never-ending array of homemade desserts. For an event that's not so vegetarian friendly, I have insane amounts of fun anyway and always seem to get enough to eat. There's constantly a smile on my face while at Polish Fest every year. It's the perfect place to hang out with friends and drink various Polish beers or vodka under a tent while being wowed by Polish dancing and general Polish awesomeness all day. Oh, and there's a dance for everyone after that, where the real mayhem goes down. It's easy and fun to spend an entire day at Polish Fest just hanging out. My friend no longer dances with Pomorze, but we'll both likely attend Polish Fest as long as we're still living in Halifax. I cant' wait until June!

The shows are presented by volunteer amateur astronomers, mostly for the Halifax Centre of the…read moreRoyal Astronomical Society of Canada. Currently, public shows are on alternate Thursdays only. Ages range: 8 and up. This is not a fancy planetarium like in some spiffy science centres, but the setting is friendly and intimate, and the presenters approachable. It is a great way to learn about the sky, and the show always goes on, rain or shine!

Let's start with the only bad thing: your neck might get a bit sore after staring up at "the night…read moresky" for an hour. Seriously, I kind of wish that they just put mats down on the floor and everyone could lie down and stargaze. So, if you've never been, here's the deal: They do different presentations throughout the year, typically an hour in length and $5/adult. You do have to e-mail ahead of time to reserve space (see their Web site). You'll get a star chart print-out and some optional brochures if you want to expand and/or apply your learning. Once you're in, they gradually adjust your eyes to night vision by dimming the lights. Then the magic begins. You wouldn't think at the beginning that a simple domed tent and some strange looking machine could transport you into the night sky. But it happens. The presenter my evening also made sure to inject a fair bit of humour. The machine itself was made by hand in the 1950s and technically belongs to the Museum on Natural History but is on permanent loan to Dalhousie.

If you love Christmas lights, this parade is for you. People do an amazing job on the floats and it…read moreis a lot of fun to watch. My only complaint is the cold can make it a bit uncomfortable so be sure to bundle up and be prepared for massive crowds and traffic.

I was invited to one of the segments on one of the days the festival was going on a couple weekends…read moreago.... and I LOVED it! It was the Gospel segment on a Sunday. And the term Gospel was loosely used...mostly just folk music from all over the region... there was all kinds of music played during this segment. And the pure, raw talent of all of the performers were just so fantastic to listen to. Also, I can't say enough about the production they put in... They flawlessly transitioned between performer and performer on the one stage without delays or fumbling around...and at the end, all of them on the one stage all together at one time, it was really a great event. I would recommend this to locals and visitors alike! Don't miss out next year.

From the owner: The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival brings the best in traditional and contemporary folk music to…read morethe beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We are Nova Scotia's longest-running folk festival and have showcased great Nova Scotian, Canadian, and international talent during our 25 years. We are proud to have introduced many of the Maritimes' best-loved musicians to a wider audience on our stages. Lunenburg literally bursts at the seams with music and Festival goers during the four days of Folk Harbour. With a long history of good weather (knock wood), fantastic music, and unmatched atmosphere, music lovers of all ages are in for non-stop entertainment.

I honestly think live theatre performances can intimidate some people. They are often perceived as…read moreexpensive, lengthy and stuffy. Thankfully, we have Fringe to combat that! If you've never been to (or heard of) Fringe before, it's an annual theatre festival made up of smaller, independent and alternative plays. Some are locally works; some have toured internationally. Some are making their grand debut; others have been around for years. Many of the plays are short, they don't cost much and no one's expecting you to get all gussied up to go see them. And the topics? Range wildly. Everything from the life of sex workers to exploring someone's imagination to domestic violence to the changing nature of friendships to robot apocalypses. And they're everywhere! Fringe is hosted at a variety of venues across the city and each play has multiple performances at a weird mix of times so you'll almost definitely be able to fit it into your schedule. Seriously, get some theatre in your life, people.

Movies outdoors on the Halifax waterfront? Fantastic idea!…read more I especially love when they have singalongs!

This is what makes summertime in Halifax great…read more Watching movies with your pals under the stars with the harbour at your back. It makes me feel all romantic about this sometimes frustrating city. This summer, the fine folks at the Atlantic Film Festival have outdone themselves. The alFresco filmFesto programme will be... The Summer of Murray. Bill. Murray. Six glorious nights of Bill Murray. My friends, this is going to be a magical summer. One can only assume that Bill Murray will smile down upon us and bless our fair hamlet with his wisdom, humour, and grace. And mad golf skills. I cannot wait.

Waterfront festival staging area was extremely inhospitable. Saturday afternoon 2:00, wiltingly…read morehot. Not a lick of shade. No seats. Someone guarding a bunch of plastic chairs. Not sure what that was about. Performers singing and for 20 (?) people. Unclear what we were allowed to bring and what we weren't. Not like any jazz festival I have ever attended. Other smaller venues were much better (hydrostone was fantastic). But the main stage...dismal

A great festival that brings some amazing musical acts to Halifax each and every summer…read more The have all kinds of different acts to choose from, with the cost of the act varying the entire time as well. The waterfront location provides a beautiful backdrop for the main stage to look out on, but this festival is so much more than just a one stage act. There are musical acts all over the city throughout the week that you are able to take in and enjoy. The afternoon's down on the waterfront stage are free, and a great chance to have your kids and yourself, get a break from the Biebers and the Britney's of the world. To see where the real music came from. All the samples they hear in the back round of what is passed off as pop these days. So get out Halifax, and soak up some good old fashioned jazz music.

Hugo's is awful. Full stop…read more I've been there maybe 3-4 times, always disappointed and regret going. We've ordered the wings and the poutine. The poutine is a bowl of gravy, a few strands of mozza, and a disproportionately small amount of fries. I mean it tastes fine/average, like something you'd get from a takeout pizza joint, but you're paying for a bowl of gravy. The wings are worse. The quality of the wings themselves are low. Not much meat, brittle bones that crumble and stab your mouth, and you can usually spot leftover feathers. There was some chicken wing "festival" last summer, and it baffles me that Hugo's actually won best wings, of the maybe 4-5 vendors. But now of course, they use this and advertise award winning, best wings in the city. The sauce is just watered down Dave's sauce, which the owner admitted to in Facebook. If you LOVE Dave's just go to Gateway and buy your own jug, spare yourself the trip to this hole. The staffs nice though, and the prices are usually acceptable. That's the best I can say about it.

Best wings in the city! And fantastic people! Worth the…read moretrip over the bridge from Halifax

My favourite time of year! It may be a coincidence that this annual film festival kicks off on or…read morenear my birthday, but I think we were destined to celebrate together. This year's schedule is chock full of amazing local and international features and shorts that'll keep you busy through the end of September. I definitely recommend checking out at least one of the parties or galas (the opening + closing parties and the AFCOOP Film 5 party are always on my schedule). It's beneficial to get a film fan pass so you can hop from theatre to theatre and not worry about tickets. Be advised that you should show up around a half-hour early to get in line. For tickets and more information head on down to Park Lane and visit the box office.

From the owner: The Atlantic Film Festival is an eight-day celebration of film, media and music from around the…read moreworld. It's a festival that turns Halifax - a charming and historic coastal city - into an international Mecca for the arts, abuzz with filmmakers, industry types and film lovers. Offering a first-look at the best international films of the festival season, the Atlantic Film Festival is a champion of local filmmakers, committed to bridging the gap. We attract some of the biggest players in film, media and music from around the world. All of our film selections are chosen with our community in mind and our special events are designed to bring us all together. A not-for-profit organization, the Atlantic Film Festival depends heavily upon its strong ties to the surrounding and thriving arts community.