What’s the best way to spend Victoria Day long weekend? Go to an art, DIY and music festival that celebrates the Queen.

We spent the last leg of our Maritime adventures in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We arrived from Moncton via train, spent the evening at a club where the boy DJed and did some vintage shopping.

By checking out Halifax’s local weekly paper The Coast, (a great resource for local happenings and food tips) during late morning coffee, we found an ad for the Long Live the Queen Festival.

In Canada the weekend closest to May 24th is celebrates the birthday of Queen Victoria and the current sitting queen. The grassroots festival is in its first year, curated by musicians from Halifax and centered in the north end neighbourhoood of the city. It was on from May 21st-23rd.

Since it was such a bright, sunny day perfect for roaming the city, and because it was close to our hotel on Quinpool Road, we decided to check it out. The main venue was just off Robie St.., in a small light blue-green-coloured structure, the North Street Church.

The bands were on break in the main hall so we checked out the handful of sellers at the Artists’ Market in the next room including the table of Halifax singer-songwriter Rebekah Higgs, which was decked out with lovely applique earrings and some great looking vintage eyeglasses.

I also scored an awesome silkscreened festival t-shirt and matching bag.

Unfortunately we were leaving that evening so didn’t get to check out the rest of the festival. But judging from the stellar lineup and the enthusiasm of the sellers in the Artists’ Market, this could grow even bigger and be Halifax’s version of Pop Montreal.

Here’s some other local Halifax places to check out linked to DIY, craft art and music:

- Roberts Street Social Centre (5684 Roberts Street) – a social space and a collection of projects dedicated to providing free or affordable access to independent and alternative media, art, and education
- Eyelevel Gallery (2063 Gottingen St) – artist-run centre/space for contemporary art
- Khyber Institute for Contemporary Art (1588 Barrington Street) – contemporary art space
- Economy Shoe Shop - (1663 Argyle Street
) resto/space
- Invisible Publishing - indie publishing house based in Halifax
- Halifax Crafters - group of craft artists who put on craft shows

Next up on our around the world segment is New York City and Brooklyn. Spins & Needles visited in September 2007 to check out the crafty scene and host a party at the Etsy Labs! I also took a personal trip last year and was able to check out some craft on the streets.

What I love about NYC are the walkups and imagining how they are decorated inside…

The distinct flavours of each neighbourhoood…

The mix of architecture, of the old and new…

The randomness you encounter on the streets…

The quiet moments…

and the surprises around each corner.

We spent a lot of time in Soho and Williamsburg. But right near the big box chains on Broadway are local vendors, many who are selling and making their wares at the same time. I picked up some awesome  leather studded earrings that I still wear all the time.

Our visit in September 2007 culminated with a trip to the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, where we hosted a special Spins & Needles party in collaboration with Etsy.

The labs are an amazing place, filled with crafty materials to the ceiling, tons of light, decorated walls and tons of inspiration. Just imagine your dream craft workroom – that’s probably the best way to describe the space.

The night was filled with beats, crafty chatter and a few drinks…We had tons of fun meeting crafty people based in New York and Brooklyn, who came up with some amazing creations that night!

There’s definitely no place like NYC! Here are some interesting resources in case you plan on visiting soon:

Kid Robot has a guide for urbanites on NYC accommodation, places to eat and shop, and more.

DesignSponge has a design guide focusing on Brooklyn, specifically Williamsburg, Park Slope, Dumbo, and Bococa.

The New York Times spotlights the best of the city in 36 hours.

The Village Voice, Time Out NYC, Nonsense NYC, Free Williambsburg and FlavorPill let you know what’s happening in NYC and Brooklyn that week.

The Garment District Area is 8th Ave to 6th Ave between 36th Street to 40th Street.

If you have any other resource suggestions for NYC, such as places you’ve visited or links to check out, please add here.

The first trip in our Around the Crafty World series is to… San Francisco! As you probably know, San Francisco is ripe with creative inspiration, from music to crafts to culture – definitely our kind of city! Here’s some pics from Spins & Needles visit to SF in May 2007.

The place we stayed at was Hotel des Arts, a hidden little hotel an elevator ride up located in the French Quarter near Union Square. Similar to hotels in other cities, each room was decorated by a local designer. Ours was decorated by Jeremy Fish, known for incorporating bunnies into his work, and who apparently completed the room on one foot due to his crutches.

Besides visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, SFMOMA and Chinatown, we spent a lot of time in the Mission District, including stumbling upon the amazing street art in and between the alleys. There were also some great crafty boutiques, music stores, thrift stores and bars in this area.

A trip to San Francisco is not a real trip without visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. We watched the seals while having a cup of coffee.

All around, San Francisco was full of colour!

Our reason for visiting San Francisco in May 2007: to participate in Maker Faire with our very own DJ and craft corner. There were lots of happy customers!

We were happy travellers too and loved our time in SF. We would definitely visit again!

Here are some SF city guides to check out:

Design*Sponge has a San Francisco city design guide, detailing stores, food and other boutiques by neighbourhood.

Kid Robot has a San Francisco city guide for urbanites, includes accomodation, shops and sites to see.

The Bay Area Video Coaliation hosts a  Google map that shows you places to eat, places to park, and things to do when you’re in their neighborhood (the Mission/Potrero District).

SFist dishes out what events are going on in the city, as does SFStation.

Although I’ve listed the city guides here, they are just a starting point.  The best parts of travelling to different cities for us is definitely stumbling upon places not in the guide books or what we’ve found off the beaten track (such as the SF street art in the Mission).

If you’ve got any recommendations for future trips to SF please let us know!