**** DHBC Media Release
CANCELLED: Halifax to host the largest open street event (post COVID) this Sunday!
This Sunday’s planned 4-hour event, HALIFAX: Open Street Sundays (formally known as Switch Halifax), has been cancelled due to an inclement weather forecast. An organizing committee, that consists of OSO planning + design, Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC), Spring Garden Area Business Association (SGABA), the North End Business Association (NEBA), just met and made the call.
“We’ve all agreed that cancelling the event now, based on the current weather forecast for Sunday, is the most responsible thing to do for everyone involved, but let it be known we are heartbroken,” says lead organizer, Kieran Stepan (Founder and Partner with OSO planning + design.) “We just know that the longer we wait to cancel, the more of a cost we incur. And this is money we can recirculate into many other events, just like this one.”
HALIFAX: Open Street Sundays was scheduled to happen on Sunday, September 18 from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. and would have been the first major open street event in Halifax (since COVID-19.) Vehicular traffic was to be closed on Agricola Street (Almon to Cunard), Spring Garden Road (South Park to Queen), and Argyle Street (Blowers to Prince) allowing folks to move, gather, exercise, and perform.
“The thinking behind open streets is ‘community and having fun’, but a lot of the programming we’d planned is just not very conducive to inclement weather, it just defeats the purpose,” says Paul MacKinnon, Executive Director of DHBC. “As a business improvement district, we’re responsible to our businesses. Every decision we make is based around the question ‘does this make sense for all our stakeholders?’ And in this case, there’s more risk than not in moving forward with the event.”
The three business improvement districts (BIDS) involved, DHBC, SGABA and NEBA invite you to still get out this weekend and explore your city (maybe just indoors on Sunday.) For a list of all the events still happening in Halifax this weekend please visit their websites.
Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) – www.downtownhalifax.ca
Spring Garden Area Business Association (SGABA) – www.springgardenarea.com
North End Business Association (NEBA) – www.gonorthhalifax.ca
