10 Things To Do in Halifax This September

The Halifax Fringe Festival is back for its 34th year with an impressive lineup of entertainment. The festival happens over 11 days in 10+ venues with 55+  productions performing over 350 accessible, unjuried, and uncensored individual performances. There’s something for everyone to enjoy at this iconic festival, including theatre, music, circus, dance, comedy, education, and more.

Halifax Fringe Festival | August 31 – September 10 | Multiple locations 

Alderney Landing will be bursting with vibrant hues at the Halifax Colour Festival on September 2. Grab your friends and family and get ready to dance, sing, and play in full colour. Get competitive with fun, family-friendly games and take home prizes, enjoy upbeat music, and connect with new faces at this energetic festival.

Halifax Colour Festival | September 2 | Alderney Landing

Make your way to the Halifax waterfront for the inaugural Fleet Week, a showcase of Canada’s defence with participation from Royal Canadian Navy as well as the United States, Germany, England, and France. Enjoy live music, tour Navy ships, and catch the Parade of Ships through the harbour to cap the weekend off. With so much to see and do for all crowds, this is a celebration you won’t want to miss.

Halifax International Fleet Week | September 7-10 | Multiple locations

Take game night to the next level at the Discovery Centre and get the chance to play nostalgic retro games, including larger-than-life Connect4 and Jenga, STEAM exploration games, and more.

Family-friendly games will be available from 6pm-8pm before opening exclusively to adults from 9pm until midnight. Propeller Brewing Co. will be onsite serving up craft beer and non-alcoholic beverages. Make plans to check it out with your friends, family, or plan the ultimate date night here.

Family Retro Games Night | September 9 | Discovery Centre

19+ Retro Games Night | September 9 | Discovery Centre 

Grab your popcorn and get ready to binge-watch some of the best local and international films during the 43rd Atlantic International Film Festival.

This year’s festival will showcase 115 feature and short films at the Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane over 8 days and can conveniently be streamed to watch from the comfort of your home if you don’t feel like going out. The week will also be filled with fun evening parties that are free to attend, making for the perfect night out with your pals.

FIN Atlantic International Film Festival | September 14-21 | Multiple locations

Dust off your stein and head down to the Halifax waterfront for Oktoberfest. Enjoy incredible craft beer from Garrison Brewing Co., German food, traditional live oompah music, games, and more at The BG. It’s free to attend, and if you decide to get extra festive and don your German gear, you’ll get to skip the line. With great beer, food, and music, this is a seaside party you won’t want to miss.

Oktoberfest | September 15-24 | The BG

Whether you’re into hip-hop or folk, there’s a music festival happening for you this month.

Hopscotch Halifax | September 21-24 | Multiple locations

Halifax Urban Folk Festival | September 24 – October 1 | Multiple locations

Halifax is jam-packed with sporting events this month. Catch the first Halifax Mooseheads home game of the season on September 22 and get ready to give it all for the final HFX Wanderers home game of 2023 on September 30.

Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour FUTURES is also coming to Halifax this month where 32 teams from across the globe will compete in 80 matches over 4 days on the Halifax waterfront.

If you’d rather be part of a sporting event, lace up for Beat Beethoven, a unique 7.5KM race against Beethoven’s classics, performed live by Symphony Nova Scotia. While music will be amplified on the course, the objective of this event is to make it to the finish within 50 minutes, before the orchestra completes the movement, to experience it for yourself—live. After crossing the finish, celebrate with a concert by Symphony Nova Scotia, a sparkling beverage, and appetizers.

Beat Beethoven | September 14 | Halifax Waterfront

Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour FUTURES | September 21-24 | Salter Lot

Halifax Mooseheads Home Game | September 22 | Scotiabank Centre

Final HFX Wanderers Home Games | September 4, 12, 16, 30 | Wanderers Grounds

Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore is peppered with one-of-a-kind galleries that offer eclectic art and curiosities from local artisans. Cruise along the coast and stop in at these charming little spaces that tell a story beyond the incredible art found inside. Many of these galleries close at the end of September, so this will be your last chance to browse stunning pieces before they reopen in the spring of 2024.

Grab your best plaid and head for the woods at the Nova Scotia Forest Festival, a showcase of the many ways Nova Scotians connect to our forests for their livelihood, housing, recreation, food, and heritage. Embark on a guided nature walk, test your axe-throwing skills, and cozy up by a fire with some comfort food and enjoy live music among the forest brush. If you’re looking to take forest bathing to the next level, look no further than this tree-mendous festival.

Nova Scotia Forest Festival | September 30 | Memory Lane Heritage Village

Venture to Halifax’s North End to celebrate the community through a cultural exchange of live music, dance and food at a neighbourhood festival this month. As the streets shut down for exclusive pedestrian access, the neighbourhood comes to life with live music, gourmet fare, pop-up shops, games, and more.

Gottingen Street Festival | September 9 | Gottingen Street

Agricola Open Street Sunday | September 17 | Agricola Street