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