I should start by saying that I am really not a sci-fi or comic buff. I don't participate in…read morecosplay or steampunk or watch Anime in my spare time. However, I do enjoy the occasional supernatural or sci-fi movie and tv show, and above all I can respect the creativity and passion of those that ARE sci-fi/comic buffs! Hal-Con is like the mecca for my local city's contigent of such folks. I actually attended as a volunteer for Yelp Halifax Saturday morning, then attended the events in the afternoon with my sister and boyfriend (who is part of the sci-fi/comic buff group previously mentioned), more out of curiosity than anything. I had never been to such an event before, and wanted to see what it was like. I had SO much fun. I didn't buy anything that the vendors were selling, and to be honest I would never really do so since (again) this stuff really isn't my thing. However, I enjoyed looking and admiring everything so much - some of the detail and technical knowledge that goes into making the models, pictures and costumes that filled the rooms everywhere I looked was mind-boggling. Plus the crowd was just "nice" - people were actually saying 'excuse me' and 'sorry' when they bumped into you, which was a revelation. The real reason I attended this year was to take my sister to meet Nicholas Brendon, aka Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I succeeded! (see attached photographic proof). I totally turned into a dorky superfan upon meeting him, I am not even going to lie. Even though the meeting was about 1 minute from start-to-finish (hello, photo, goodbye) it was still the highlight of my day. I mean, come on, what person who was a teenager in the mid-to-late 90's did NOT watch Buffy and want live in it?! (No? Just me? Oh....ok) The event seemed super busy and the crowd seemed to be enjoying everything, so I would say kudos to the organizers. This looks good for next year! Even though I had no idea what 90% of the costumes or references were, I still had a great time.

Without any legitimate claim to nerd or geek status (I always admit that I am, at best,…read moregeek-adjacent), I was a little nervous committing to a full weekend at Hal-Con. I pictured hoards of people giving me the side-eye whenever I gawked at their incredible costumes, or rolling their eyes when I bashfully asked questions about their hobbies. Well, guess what? Even without knowing much about anything happening throughout the weekend, I felt 100% welcome among this crowd of misfits, I learned so much about things I didn't even know existed (Steampunk, anyone?), and only felt weirded out whenever the furries were around. From my perspective, it was a five-star experience with more to see and do than even our region's largest and most popular festivals and events. *The exhibition space hosted tons of incredible local vendors with everything from Nintendo plush toys to locally authored and illustrated books and comics, making it easy to support local shops. *The artist aisle did the same for artisan wares from zombie brain egg holders (it makes sense when you see 'em), to cardboard dolls of The Big Bang Theory and Jem and the Hollograms. *Two massive games room meant easy access to just about any board, video, card or even pinball game you can imagine. And all this is happening at the same time as countless workshops, panels, autograph signings, and interviews, not to mention my favourite activity of running up to strangers in incredible costumes and getting photos of their most epic poses. Easier than you'd think! The few kinks: 1) ATMs were accessible but scarce, 2) not much food or drink on site, 3) and holy moly was the schedule ever overwhelming. That last one's a good thing, but it was tough to keep tabs on everything you wanted to check out. Well worth checking out next year!

An amazing museum and very affordable. The staff stationed throughout the museum were all so…read moreinformative and helpful. My 5 and 2 year old enjoyed all the exhibits and on an early Thursday morning we found the place pretty quiet. The bubble room, musical stairs, and energy rooms were our favorites. Lots of clean spacious bathrooms, a coat check area, and snack bar. Just a short (1/3 mi?) walk from the cruise terminal. We really recommend this place!

My review of the Discovery Centre is based on the Science, Spirits and Boos event…read more Okay, you know me, I just have to be honest. I don't blame Yelp for this one but overall this event was lame. Firstly, I hated that I couldn't really mingle with other yelpers. :( Secondly, no free food or drink? Not even water was free (besides the fountain I finally found). I guess I just assumed for 38 bucks a ticket (yes thankfully as a Yelp elite I didn't have to pay but can't believe others did). We had to ask the girl selling food where we could get water and she said we could wait in the line for the bar but then went and got us a plastic cup that we could fill at the fountain. Now here's the real disgusting part, food and drink costs were astronomical! $7.50 for a tiny little plastic cup of green liquid, $4.25 for a bottle of water, $4.50 for a cup of chili, and no vegan options (not that I'd spend that even if they did). Next, it didn't feel much like a Halloween party besides people being dressed up. I did love the giant screens with the projections of ghosts and Jack o'lanterns but would have been nice to have had Halloween music and some other decor. The building itself is beautiful. I love the giant colorful lights and the view of the seaport market from the top floor. It was my first time at the Discovery Center and I am glad I did get to visit, especially for free but I definitely wouldn't pay to go back. I found myself really bored by the exhibits. My favourite part were the 3d printers. It was so cool to finally see one in person. I also have to mention that I was in fact offended by the organ dissections going on. I walked into the room not knowing what it was and saw a giant cow heart on the table. I asked what it was and turned around and said "nope I'm not okay with this." As a vegan, that was pretty heartbreaking to me. I was also offended by the kids area where they had a fake cow to milk and a plastic butcher shop area with fake meat to play with. Apologies for letting my vegan show, it's just pretty hard to disconnect. Nothing against jazz or the band playing but that also felt strange for a Halloween party. Anyhow, I thank Yelp for getting me in for free and since I was with my friend we still had an okay time but we left by 9pm because of everything I described. I definitely have no desire to visit the Discovery Center again. This event was a pretty big disappoint for me.

Haven't been bowling yet, but just chatted to 2 wonderful people…read more Here is a run down. 30$ (plus tax) for one lane, one hour. Shoes are an extra 3$ per person. Also, you have to drive down the ramp and go in back of no frills/Dollarama.

A great time was had by all! (Well, actually, I don't know…read morethat for a fact. I had a great time and everyone else gave the appearance of having a great time. I suppose they could have been acting; merely pretending to have a good time. But why would they do that? They're not sociopaths... or are they? No, probably not. So let's assume they weren't putting on a show and that... A great time was had by all!) I've been to Bowlarama a few times before. I even had a great birthday party here once so I have fond memories. The facilities have been not only maintained but improved since then. Beyond being kept clean, it looks like they've updated a lot of features such as the flooring. They also use bright primary colours along the walls and pillars of the lanes. It's done in a way that serious bowlers (a club to which I'll never be invited to join) won't be distracted but it makes for a nice visual plateau (Yeah - I used 'visual plateau' when describing a bowling alley, deal with it.). The staff were quite friendly and easy to chat with. They seemed happy, which is pretty important for staff to be friendly, I find. The actual bowling? Well, let's say I'm glad that we all agreed not to be competitive at the beginning. The focus was on having fun. Which, considering I never broke 80, was just fine by me! And it was fun! I hadn't bowled in years but I didn't care; the company was good and the atmosphere was light. The free Yelp swag didn't hurt either. I eagerly await the next CMYE!

I don't get it? I left Greekfest feeling regretful and ripped off. Is there a different festival…read morethe other reviewers are talking about? $5 to get in, upon scanning the area I saw a big tent with dancers, a "score on the goalie" event, a church, and a little shop where you can buy greek flags and stuff. Thats it. Me and my mom went together, she was hungry and decided she wanted to get a bite to eat first. You buy your meal ticket and then go into the tent that serves food. I got a vegetable plate and mom got a Greek plate. The Greek plate was $14, an I think the vegetable plate was like $12, can't remember. The vegetable plate was ok. The potatoes were the highlight but I ended up throwing the stuffed pepper and dolmades out. The tiropita barely had any feta in it and they gave me the smallest husk of bread ever, I saw other plates with a big piece but mine was pathetic. When I asked for tzatziki they seemed irritated. Disappointing for $12. My mom ended up not eating her moussaka and said she regretted paying $14 for her food. Since I threw out a good portion of my meal I got a custard pastry, it was $3 which was too much. It didn't have much taste to it and it disappointed me. The lemon roasted potatoes were very good with the tzatziki, but I give 2 stars because the dancers were great and the music was cool. I can't see myself going again as I didn't think it was worth the money.

After a 3 year hiatus due to some necessary travel on my end, I returned to Halifax to attend my…read morebeloved Greekfest which happens annually. Now just a bit of background: I love Greek food. I love Greece (and WILL travel there someday). I normally love Greekfest but this year I found it to be a little underwhelming. The weather was beautiful as it usually is on GreekFest weekend (I don't know how they do it!) and there were plenty of people around. However, I felt that things have gotten a lot more expensive than they used to be. I paid $6 for a simple chicken wrap that was no thicker than my wrist (and I have very tiny wrists) and another $14 for a plate which was good but I could have gone to one of the many amazing restaurants around and had the same thing for a lot less. We went during the day and there was some dancing and music but nothing over the top and I just didn't feel like there was anything there for me. Once you've experienced Greekfest one year, you're done - unless your Greek and in that case it's a huge family reunion. If I was Greek it would probably be my favourite weekend of the year but since I'm not, I was a little disappointed this time around.

It's usually a fun time -- we go every year for a family birthday. Unfortunately this year the…read moreexperience was marred by an overwhelming amount of artificial air freshener that caused headaches for several of us. It was completely unnecessary. Mini golf does not need perfume. Please remove it so everyone can actually enjoy the space. We won't be returning until the perfume is gone.

The Putting Edge is an indoor, 18-hole, glow in the dark mini-golf course, and is the only one of…read moreit's kind in the greater Halifax area. Whether you're going on a date, or for a birthday party, the Putting Edge is always a lot of fun. It costs approximately $10 per player, and is fun for all ages. It will probably take a little over an hour to complete the course. For the added glow in the dark affect, it's a good idea to wear white items, or, if you forget, you can often purchase glow bracelets and other accessories inside. It truly is a fun and unique experience that everyone should try at least once!

Went as apart of a large group, didn't know what to expect…read more I imagined small round tables, candle light, smoky room and lots of role playing. What I got instead was a pleasurable 2.5 hour supper and entertained as well! When first entering the location, you can take the elevator to the 3rd floor or take the stairs on the right. You enter the lounge area with full bar and self coat check. At 6:45 the players come out and are within the crowd to do the housekeeping and setting of the theater part. Parties are led into the other room and seated. As part of the large group we were sat at long tables. In front of us were the menus & huge loaf of bread for 6 people. The theater part was in the corner, easy visible due to the seating layout. The 5 players were also our servers, so they went over the table, took our names and our full order. At the table we had the menu. Honestly, they had lots of choices. I saw afterwards that the menu is posted on their website. I had the seafood chowder, Cajun Sausage stuffed chicken breast & Baked Apple Crisp. Everybody in our table chose different items and were pleased with the meal. The players played about 9-10 songs from the rolling stones as part of the theater part in between servings us. Tickets are ~42$ per person and does not include tips, but adding a few extra bucks for the players is worth it as they really try to remember your name and stay in character when serving the dishes. Staff gets an A++ If you want try something different and not be forced to participate, this is a good spot to try. The website has all the info you need.

To be clear, dinner theatre isn't really my jam. I love food so much that I typically don't need…read moreadditional entertainment to make an evening count - so long as the meal's a standout, I'd actually prefer being able to focus on eating it with maaaaaybe a little conversation with friends on the side. Maybe. Still, Grafton Dinner Theatre puts on a nice night on the town for when you're in the mood for this sort of thing. It's a couple of hours long with constant song, dance, or kitschy jokes for a crowd that simply eats it all up -read: older people from Cape Breton. Yeah. I went there. The space itself is weirdly divey. It's all very dark so you can't take much in besides the very small corner stage and long communal tables are set up to accommodate the maximum number of people possible. It's not so good for an intimate evening but perfect for a large group that has ideally had a few drinks beforehand. Pretty unremarkable food on the vegetarian front, but that's not too surprising.

The Bloomfield Centre is currently hosting a: Women and Trans Bike Repair Night…read more This event takes place the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month from 6-8pm. If you're a new bike owner or simply want to become more self sufficient when it comes to your bike maintenance (and you're a lady) then check this event out!

I know how to get in the building, find the change room, and hit the gym for Ball Hockey…read more What I don't know, is what else this building is used for! I like it for my needs! It's old, outdated, and rather unattractive. The gym as small as it is functions well for those of us that use it, but I'd almost rather play elsewhere! It's mediocre at best my friends!

Had a blast this year. The food was great. Plenty to choose from. The prices were reasonable and…read morethe vendors were friendly and more than willing to pour you a boat load of portions. My only criticism is there needs to be more ethnic entertainment than just Dutch dancers and highlanders. To me that seems more like local settlers backgrounds.

Great food, fun entertainment, and beautiful displays (and sales) of wares produced by a variety of…read morecultures from around the globe. What a great way to spend a beautiful summer day! The event was larger than I expected it to be (actually, I wasn't quite sure what to expect last year, it being my first time, but I was happy to see the diversity in all aspects of this fair). There was quite a bit of variety in terms of the food (who knew mango juice was so good?...and okay, yes, I am a bit sheltered), and lots of dancing and such by various performers from different cultures. The only complaint I had, and admittedly it's a minor one, was that the stage was a kind of far away from the seating area (at least compared to Greekfest). I would have liked to have been a bit closer to the action, to be able to see the costumes and dancing, etc., up close, to gain full appreciation for everything they had put into their performances. The exhibitors tent was my favourite, rich with handmade artifacts and cultural offerings from many different countries. There was a little bit of everything here, from clothing, to art, to craft items, to historical, geographic, and political information about these cultures. And these are just to name a few.