Evergreen Festival: Business Information

In what ways can a small business without premises participate?

The primary opportunity for small businesses without existing premises is to apply for a space in one of the temporary chalets within the Evergreen Market.

However, another excellent opportunity is to partner with a business that has premises to deliver a pop-up experience. Imagine a craft pop-up at a hotel or a local beauty business at a spa. There are many opportunities to work together to create some magic.

If you are a business interested in participating but are unsure of where to start, reach out and we can help match you with potential partners!

Will the festival have any ties to Quinpool, North End, and/or Downtown Dartmouth?

The Festival will strategically leverage the Halifax waterfront as the draw, however, the idea is to entice people here and then sell them on experiencing everything (and every place!) the holiday season has to offer in the Halifax region.

All areas of Halifax can and should participate. We recommend creating an event that can be featured within the upcoming website events calendar. For food & beverage establishments, we recommend signing up to participate in the Cocoa Trail program. Or, if you have another idea for getting involved, let us know!

I want to create a special event or illumination for my business – can I do that if I’m a hotel or restaurant or retailer?

Yes, absolutely! All businesses are encouraged to decorate and put up lights! Please email jenna.rideout@buildns.ca with the subject line “Evergreen Bright” to get involved.

Who do you contact if interested in learning more about performing on the Evergreen Stage?

Curated by Jazz East Rising Association, the Evergreen Stage will be a showcase multidisciplinary live programming throughout the Evergreen Festival. For more information contact programming@halifaxjazzfestival.ca.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Festival runs rain or shine, but events or activations affected by the weather will be rescheduled or cancelled on a case-by-case basis. We will use the festival’s social media channels to communicate changes with the public.

Will the festival feel alive during the day or primarily evenings and weekends?

Only the market will follow specific open and closed hours. While the light installations will be most active in the evening and act as a strong draw, there are no restrictions as to when a business may activate its own programming.

How do you intend to ensure the marketing promotes the full area of downtown Halifax? What are your plans for encouraging travel to the rest of the city?

We will be featuring participating businesses and events from outside the downtown core on our website. We’d also encourage businesses to engage with the Evergreen Festival accounts on social media as much as possible. We will be reposting information about participating businesses wherever it makes sense.

How will you collaborate with local groups to bring diversity and inclusion to the festival?

The vision for the festival was to be as inclusive as possible and to celebrate as many cultures and beliefs as possible. We encourage any interested local group or event to reach out to discuss how we can get you involved.

There will always be room on the event calendar to feature any local events throughout the downtown core and beyond.

Wherever we can, we will try to help bring parties together to find collaborations and shared spaces to activate. There is no shortage of ways to get involved.

How do you plan to use the marketing budget to support local media outlets?

The main marketing priorities for the festival are to build public awareness of the event and to support local businesses, which includes integrating our amazing local media within the plan.

Where will hotel deals be listed?

Hotel deals will be listed on this page, with a direct link out from the Evergreen Festival page.