**** Halifax Busker Festival Release
Halifax Busker Festival Expands to Dartmouth!
July 27 to August 1, 2022
After a tumultuous two years with a virtual festival and reduced capacity shows, the Halifax Busker Festival has plans to celebrate the reopening by coming back bigger than ever with an expansion to the Dartmouth Waterfront.
“We are excited to expand the festival to Dartmouth, making it a true city-wide festival,” says Kim Hendrickson, Festival Producer. “After being mothballed for two years, it is thrilling to produce our biggest event in 36 years, as part of the reopening. This is an opportunity to enjoy the festival on either side of the harbour while exploring local restaurants, shops and sights.”
The festival will be bringing back many of the People’s Choice Award winners from the past three decades, and plans for a never-before-experienced, spectacular All-Star Show at the Grand Parade in Halifax are in the works.
The Dartmouth side will include the ever-popular midway rides with East Coast Amusements and international busker and music performances at Alderney Landing and Ferry Terminal Park. Halifax will feature three action-filled busker performance stages and food and craft vendors by the Maritime Museum, the Wave and the Salt Yard Too. New to the Halifax side is the family-friendly Glow Funland located along the renovated boardwalk by the Salt Yard.
Electrifying performers will take to multiple stages for six days of incredible international and local performances, including FlameOz, Alakazam, Victor Rubilar, Lisa Lotti, Rhythm Works, Pogo Fred, Reuben dotdotdot, Sara Twister, The Positive Brothers, The Street Circus, Michael James, and Olé!, with more to be announced!
The festival typically sees over 250,000 visitors annually. “We anticipate these numbers will remain the same, if not increase because of the expansion,” explains Hendrickson. “The past two years have put into perspective what this festival means to the city. We’ve had time to look at where we have come from and where we need to go. People have grown up with the festival, so it seems natural for the festival to incorporate both sides of the harbour.”
“For more than three decades the Halifax Busker Festival has been a beloved annual tradition for folks of all ages, and I am thrilled to welcome the festival to Dartmouth! With so many wonderful restaurants and shops nearby, these incredible performances will become part of what makes this place so special,” says Darren Fisher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for Dartmouth, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA.
Produced by Premiere Entertainment Group, Halifax Busker Festival is supported by the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Canadian Heritage, City of Halifax, Province of Nova Scotia, Develop Nova Scotia, Alderney Landing, Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, Bell Radio, Hotel Association of Nova Scotia and supported by the Atlantic Buskers Festival Society.
