What’s happening around our beautiful city? Enjoy our month-at-a-glance listing of ongoing events in August happening in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville and beyond!

August is here – the dog days of summer! The fun starts right out of the gate with the Busker Festival and the Natal Day Festival happening on the long weekend. The festival fun keeps on rolling with the Lantern Festival, the Bangladesh Festival and everyone’s favourite – the Sandcastle Competition. August promises lots of different events from music to street performers, cultural celebrations and parades. It won’t be hard to find events for all ages and interests.

If you are looking for more ideas on how to keep the kids busy this summer, check out FREE Activities for Families this Summer in Halifax.

Here is our month-at-a-glance which highlights some of the family friendly events in August and if you are looking for upcoming events, the Family Fun Halifax calendar is continually being updated with the latest news. Also, each Wednesday, we publish our ‘Weekend Roundup’ – family friendly Halifax events for the upcoming weekend. Happy August, everyone!

Halifax Busker Festival (July 27-August 1): The Annual Halifax Busker Festival features over 300 shows of the best street performers in the world! Head down to the Halifax Waterfront to check out the performances on 5 different stages.

Natal Day Events (July 29-August 2): Celebrate Natal Day with parties, parades and pancake breakfasts. There promises to be lots of exciting events for the whole family on both sides of the Harbour.

Eastern Passage – Cow Bay Summer Carnival (August 3-7): The Annual Eastern Passage-Cow Bay Summer Carnival will have tons of family friendly events including the Teddy Bear Picnic, Sand Castle Contest, Scavenger Hunt, Midway, Parade, Fireworks, and much more!

Northern Lights Lantern Festival (August 6): The 19th Annual Northern Lights Lantern Festival will be held at Merv Sullivan Park with tons of FREE events! Enjoy live entertainment, pony rides, bouncy castles, games, and the star of the show – lantern making.

Halifax County Exhibition (August 17-20): The Halifax County Exhibition is a full weekend of fun for the whole family. The annual agricultural fair features daily live entertainment, as well as, a dairy show, a beef show, the truck pull and the circus. Local farmers will be showcasing award-winning veggies and don’t forget to bring your appetite… there will be lots of tasty treats including homemade chili and strawberry shortcake!

Mother Goose Festival (August 20):This event is always a hit with the littles, it’s free and fun for the whole family. On Saturday, August, 20, bring the whole family down to Alderney Landing to meet nursery rhyme friends, dig for treasure, watch a Play, meet farm animals, play on the bouncy castles, and more!

East Coast Kite Festival (August 20-21): “Fly as high as you can” at the 6th Annual East Coast Kite Festival at Citadel Hill. All are welcome to this FREE, non-alcoholic, family-friendly event. There will be food vendors, local artists, and lots of cool and crazy kites! A great family day on the Hill!

Clam Harbour Sandcastle Competition (August 21): Get your bucket and shovel – it’s the annual Clam Harbour Sandcastle competition! Get inspired and join in or bring the kids to view some of the most unique beach creations and award-winning masterpieces.

Don’t forget, in addition to these events above, there are lots of ongoing activities at these great Halifax attractions:
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Discovery Centre, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Museum of Natural HistoryAfricville Museum, Halifax Central LibraryArt Gallery of Nova ScotiaShearwater Avaiation Museum, Ross Farm Museum and Shubenacadie Wildlife Farm

Be sure to visit our calendar for current events happening in your community. Have a fantastic August everyone!