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Nocturne: Art at Night · Sat Oct 17, 2026 · 6 PM – midnight
Embodied City —

NOCTURNE

79 projects · one nightHalifax + DartmouthFree · 6 PM – midnight

One Saturday every October the city stays up: the squares, wharves, church steps, galleries and a ferry fill with contemporary art after dark, all of it free, most of it running to midnight. This year’s theme is Embodied City — the city as a body, bodies in the city — and the program runs from Grand Parade across the harbour to Ferry Terminal Park. Below is every project, sorted by zone, with the hours and access notes the festival published.

The full lineup ↓ Festival map → nocturnehalifax.ca
Lights on at duskSat Oct 17 · 6 PM
29
Days
04
Hrs
10
Min
47
Sec
Sunset is around 6:30. Plan the indoor stops first and be outside by seven.
Verified

The shape of the night

Checked Sep 11, 2026
79
Projects in the 2026 program
nocturnehalifax.ca
6
Zones, Grand Parade to Alderney
Festival map
$0
Every project, no tickets
Festival FAQ
33
Tagged family friendly
Project pages
23 projects
Downtown Halifax
Grand Parade, the AGNS courtyard, Barrington and Hollis. The densest zone; start here.
22 projects
Halifax Waterfront
Foundation Wharf to the Sea Turtle Centre, chalets and container stages along the boardwalk.
13 projects
Spring Garden + Universities
The library courtyard, the Public Gardens, Dal and the galleries up the hill.
10 projects
North End + Quinpool
Gottingen, Agricola, the Common and the Quinpool mural walks. Quieter, later.
7 projects
Downtown Dartmouth
Ferry Terminal Park, Alderney and the Craig Gallery. Ferry-Oke gets you there.
2 projects
Multiple HRM Zones
Roaming projects and the ferry itself.
First-timers

How to Nocturne

Four moves, in order
1
Pick a zone, not a project
Six zones, all walkable inside themselves. Downtown and the Waterfront run into each other; Spring Garden is a ten-minute walk up the hill; the North End is its own night. Dartmouth is a ferry ride.
2
Start at dusk
Everything opens at 6 PM and most of it runs to midnight. The illuminated pieces only make sense after dark, so use the first hour for galleries and indoor work.
3
Cross the harbour
Ferry-Oke turns the Alderney crossing into karaoke, and Downtown Dartmouth has its own anchor project at the World Peace Pavilion in Ferry Terminal Park. Check the last sailing before you commit to the far side.
4
Save a list
The festival site has a My List button on every project and a map. Star what you want, then walk it in order — the map groups by zone.
Sat Oct 17

The lineup

6 PM – midnight unless a card says otherwise

Downtown Halifax

Grand Parade, the AGNS courtyard, Barrington and Hollis. The densest zone; start here.
Anchor
[ The Frame ]
by Eléctrico 28
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (courtyard)1723 Hollis St
An invitation to stop An opportunity to see the eyes of the other A space to understand some things A tribute to the present and daily life A…
PerformanceInteractive Wheelchair accessible - Accessible outdoor viewing
Anchor
City You Imagined
by OSO planning + design
Granville Park Stage1949 Upper Water St
In Kjipuktuk, the city is constantly changing, but Who gets to imagine what it becomes? This project invites the community to step into the role of dreamer, city-maker,…
Wheelchair accessible
Anchor
Festival of BodyWork
by Jacinte Armstrong with support from SiNS (Sometimes in Nova Scotia) Dance, suddenlyLISTEN, Jackson Fairfax-Perry & Gillian Seaward-Boone
Grand Parade1770 Barrington St
Festival of BodyWork transforms Parade Square into an open-air environment for movement, play, and collective encounter. Oversized hand-built sculptures become shared partners for exploration as dancers, musicians, and…
PerformanceInteractive Wheelchair accessible
Beacon
held (in)---tension
by Gabe Moore
Agency Art Lofts1660 Hollis St
held (in)---tension is an interactive audio installation using the city's physical structure as an opportunity for embodied play. Through collaborative, textural noise-making participants are invited to create vibrations…
InteractiveSound ArtImmersive
Spotlight
The Embellishers Take Nocturne 2026
by Hannah Langille, Kel Parsons, Shannyn Reid, Summer Snow & Samantha Osmond
Downtown Halifax Business Commission1546 Barrington St
The Embellishers turn your everyday clothing into custom works of art on the spot with flash-style embroidery, and a needle-sharp twist of tattoo parlour attitude. They create a…
Take AwayInteractive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
(Un)Seen City: Spaces Between
by Dalhousie Architecture Students Association, Architecture49 & The Dalhousie School of Architecture Nocturne Committee
Architecture491640 Market St
(Un)Seen City: Spaces Between is Architecture49's satellite installation for Dalhousie University School of Architecture’s (Un)Seen City project. Located within the corner of Sackville and Market Street, the installation…
Community + Galleries
Block to Block: Build a Micro City
by Teichert Gallery Artists
Teichert Gallery1723 Hollis Street
We welcome our community to a hands-on, playful, citymapping experience, using recycled and sustainable building materials. Create the city of your dreams, together!
InteractiveExhibition Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
City Cane Sound Map
by CNIB
Peace & Friendship ParkPeace & Friendship Park, Hollis Street
City Cane Sound Map is an interactive Nocturne art installation that explores movement, memory, access, and place in Halifax. The project pairs used cane tips with QR codes…
Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Ebb and Flow
by GEM Lab with support from Dalhousie Faculty of Computer Science
Dalhousie Paramount Site1577 Barrington Street
Join the Graphics and Experiential Media Lab and its collaborators and explore a selection of interactive digital installations involving mixed, augmented, and virtual reality, responsive displays, tactile interfaces,…
InteractiveMoving ImageImmersive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Fit Check: Craft You Can Wear
by Laura Hambleton (Skunks N' Roses), Maggie MacCormick (Daytime People) & Pam Juarez with support from Verve Fine Craft Gallery
VERVE Fine Craft Gallery1573 Barrington Street
Step onto the gallery runway for Fit Check. Verve Gallery is throwing open its doors for a hands-on, interactive pop-up celebrating the haptic magic of local handcrafted fashion.…
InteractiveImmersive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Francofest présente "Depuis ce temps là, contes et légendes du Québec)
by Samuel Charrois with support from Francofest
Downtown Halifax1877 Hollis St, Halifax
EN: Depuis ce temps là makes images come to life onto walls: traditional characters, nocturnal landscapes, symbols and collective imagination. The projection transforms the space onto an immersive…
IlluminatedMoving Image Family Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Community + Galleries
InterCHANGE Outdoor Gallery by IOTA walking tour
by Callum Isaac Moscovitch, Andrea Tsang Jackson, Kaya Panthier, Tonya “SamQwan” Paris & PERU143
Granville Park1949 Upper Water Street, Halifax
The Halifax Regional Municipality and IOTA Studios are presenting the second year of InterCHANGE, a program of temporary public artworks within the redeveloped Cogswell District. Artworks by Tayla…
Here & ThereGuided Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Kinetic Traces
by NSCAD Print Club
Art Bar1873 Granville Street, Halifax
Join NSCAD Print Club for a night of collaborative printmaking by transferring ink to paper through movement. Dance, walk, and move about papered areas to immortalize a moment…
InteractiveImmersive Family Wheelchair accessible - The doorway has…
Community + Galleries
Lyra: A Nocturne Choir
by Choirs For Change, Ryan Henwood, Nelle Callanan & Adam Johnson
St. Paul’s Anglican Church1749 Argyle Street
Choirs for Change is returning to Nocturne! On October 17th, every hour, beginning at 6pm, we will teach community members a song and perform it together. You have…
PerformanceInteractiveSpoken Word/Song Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Nocturne at the AGNS
by Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia1723 Hollis Street
Explore the AGNS after dark through three exciting and distinct exhibitions, On the Matter of Memory: The Drawings of Harold Cromwell, Silt and Sugar, and The Maud Lewis…
WorkshopExhibition Family Wheelchair accessible - The AGNS is…
Community + Galleries
Nocturne Evening at the Gallery
by Art 1274 Hollis
Art 1274 Hollis1274 Hollis St
Art 1274 Hollis is Halifax’s premier co-op gallery and one of the oldest in Canada showcasing over 20 artists featuring painting, pottery, wool felting, fused glass, and jewellery.…
Exhibition
Community + Galleries
NSCAD Jewellery Dept. Student Exhbition and Enamel Workshop
by Mengnan Qu & NSCAD Jewellery Department
Yu Yo Craft Supply + Tea House1498 Lower Water St. Suite 1117, Halifax, NS B3J 3R5
Get hands-on with real enamel and unleash your creativity! While you’re here, enjoy the NSCAD Jewellery and Metalsmithing Students’ Exhibition.
InteractiveWorkshopExhibition Not wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Off the Shelf: An Illustrated Exploration of Nova Scotia’s Marine Life by Liz Bateman
by Liz Bateman
Argyle Fine Art1559 Barrington St, #102
Off the Shelf is a collection of paintings by Liz Bateman, that document the forms, colours, and personalities of some of the strange and wonderful marine life I…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible - Wheelchair accessible only…
Community + Galleries
perennial
by Trevor Van den Eijnden
Argyle Fine Art1559 Barrington St, #102
perennial is a series of floral paintings made after the sudden death of Trevor Van den Eijnden’s mother, Charmaine. The work began with the flowers he once photographed…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible - Wheelchair accessible only…
Community + Galleries
Samba Dance Party
by Samba Nova
St. Matt's Church (Outside space)1479 Barrington St, Halifax
Samba under the stars! Join us as we embody Brazil here in Halifax. Come and dance the night away to authentic Samba rhythms.
InteractiveDanceGuided Family Semi-accessible (rough terrain) - Located at…
Community + Galleries
Spontaneity Improv
by Spontaneity Improv Company
Light House Arts Centre1800 Argyle St., Halifax, NS, B3J 3N8
Using audience inspiration, the ensemble will create spontaneous scenes, physical storytelling, layered soundscapes, and unexpected characters that reflect the rhythms, tensions, and poetry of urban life.
PerformanceInteractive Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
The Space Between Us
by The Intensive Training Program and Adult students of Halifax Dance.
Maritime Centre1505 Barrington St., Halifax, NS, B3J 3K5
Join Halifax Dance at Nocturne 2026 for The Space Between Us, a site-specific performance inspired by this year's theme, Embodied City. Performed by dancers from our Intensive Training…
PerformanceDance Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Vigilance
by inesS Circus & Christy Sanford (SpiraLynn)
inesS Circus1800 Argyle Street
VIGILANCE, presented by inesS Circus, is a family-friendly contemporary aerial circus show that explores the rhythms of city life. Using aerial silks, hoop, flying pole, and more, performers…
Wheelchair accessible

Halifax Waterfront

Foundation Wharf to the Sea Turtle Centre, chalets and container stages along the boardwalk.
Beacon
Between Lands
by Israel Ekanem (DJ Ubuntu) & Boma Nnaji
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 211055 Marginal Rd
Between Lands is a six-hour immersive night of film, music, spoken word, and dance at Pier 21, exploring what it means to live between places. Immigrant or not,…
PerformanceInteractiveSound Art Wheelchair accessible - Fully accessible including…
Beacon
FLOW
by Mocean Dance, Susanne Chui & Sara Coffin
The Queen's Marque1715 Lower Water Street
Experience FLOW, an outdoor performance by Mocean Dance created for the Queen’s Marque waterfront. Featuring an ensemble of professional dancers and community participants, the work transforms the courtyard…
PerformanceDanceSound Art Family Wheelchair accessible
Beacon
Harbour Horizons
by VibraFusionLab
Helipad
Harbour Horizons: experiencing water as multi-sensory mediums proposes to offer access to the underwater resonances of the Halifax harbour through aural, visual and haptic encounters.
Sound ArtImmersive Wheelchair accessible
Beacon
Suns in the Nightsky
by Parumveer Walia
Collin's Court, Historic Properties
Suns in the Nightsky is a two-channel color video installation with sound exploring the euphoria and precarity of Queer nightlife, and the embodied, haptic experience of inhabiting a…
Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Spotlight
Look Closer into Dartmouth Cove
by Zonghua Ai
Nathan Green Square5079 George Street, Halifax, NS, B3J 1M3
Since time immemorial, we humans have been fascinated by conquering and utilizing the sea; yet we forget about the lifeforms in it. Who lives under the reflective yet…
IlluminatedInteractive Family Not wheelchair accessible
Spotlight
Off The Hook
by Peter Nightingale
Halifax Waterfront
Off The Hook is an interactive installation featuring two repurposed payphones connected to each other, inviting people to strike up conversations with complete strangers. In the age of…
InteractiveParticipatoryHere & There
Spotlight
Re-Homing Pigeon
by Ava Katz
The Green at Salter Sands
Re-Homing Pigeon i s a monumental soft sculpture that transforms one of the city's overlooked residents into an object of comfort and care. Constructed as a giant beanbag,…
InteractiveSculpture Family Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Spotlight
Visible Cities
by Ada Denil
Acadian Wharf
Visible Cities is an installation that explores a series of distinct experiences of the city, visually placing them in conversation with one another. In this work I am…
IlluminatedImmersive Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
A Climate of Courage
by Halifax Regional Municipality’s Environment & Climate Change Team & Ecology Action Centre with support from Donica Larade, Lorne A. Julien, Emily Elisabeth, Daramfon Morgan, Marissa Bialowas, Nailah Moon & Molly Margaret
Tall Ships Quay Pergola1325 Lower Water St
Take a brave step with us. Take part in an immersive experience moving through present and future realities of climate change into opportunities to take hands-on action and…
Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Art Exhibition by Liudmyla Romashchenko
by Liudmyla Romashchenko
Waterfront ChaletFoundation Wharf
As a newcomer to Nova Scotia, this exhibition is my way of introducing myself and my world through the language of art. My goal is to showcase the…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible - No washrooms on…
Community + Galleries
Breaking Bread
by Kaashif Ghanie
The Mary E. Black Gallery at the Centre for Craft Nova Scotia1061 Marginal Rd. Suite 140
Breaking Bread, a ceramics exhibition, investigates food as a language of care, examining how recipes, shared meals, and functional pottery preserve cultural knowledge while creating opportunities for dialogue…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Making room: Sea turtle embodiment
by Canadian Sea Turtle Network with support from Doug Morse
Canadian Sea Turtle Centre1565 Salt Yard Way
People often “love” the idea of conservation in the abstract. We like the idea of species continuity—of an abundance of bees and a diversity of plants—of forests and…
ExhibitionSculpture Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Music of the City; Embodied City
by Ekko Performing Arts Society
Waterfront Container StageHalifax Waterfront, Foundation Wharf
Community collaboration in the form of art; an open collage of words and bits of sheet music to form a city skyline! Enjoy a little free play with…
PerformanceInteractiveSpoken Word/Song Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Name Tagging: Share Your Mark
by Nova Scotia Potters Guild & Meggie Richards
Waterfront ChaletFoundation Wharf
Come make your mark! Join us, The Nova Scotia Potters Guild, in creating a personalized clay name tag that reflects who you are and your connection to our…
InteractiveWorkshop Family Wheelchair accessible - No washrooms on…
Community + Galleries
Plastic Futures
by Sheila Christie
Sackville Landing Wharf1655 Lower Water St
What if we treated plastic packaging as a resource instead of trash? Discover the possibilities as you delight in our repurposed plastics puppets. Stop by our interactive station…
InteractiveEducationWorkshop Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Sunny Soul
by Elena Doljenkova-Bavazir
Halifax Waterfront
Sunny Soul is a mixed-media portrait inspired by the warmth of the sun and the quiet strength of the human soul. The man’s closed eyes represent a moment…
Exhibition
Community + Galleries
The Adventure of Colour Pencils at Nocturne: Stories, Colour & Connection
by Mahnaz Roshan
Waterfront ChaletFoundation Wharf
An interactive evening of storytelling, colour, and creativity where visitors of all ages can hear Mahnaz Roshan’s stories, create art, and contribute to a collaborative artwork celebrating imagination,…
Interactive Family Wheelchair accessible - No washrooms on…
Community + Galleries
The Ones We Carry
by Gloire Aelfaz
Halifax Waterfront
The Ones We Carry is an immersive painting installation exploring identity, and resilience through portraiture and suspended painted works.
Exhibition
Community + Galleries
The Urban Flyway
by Nature Nova Scotia & Bird Friendly Halifax
The Urban Flyaway
Find The Urban Flyway! A flock of migrating birds takes over the waterfront in this participatory performance by Nature Nova Scotia and Bird Friendly Halifax. Featuring handmade bird…
Community + Galleries
The Volunteers
by The Nova Scotia Women’s History Society
The Volunteers Monument1215 Marginal Road, Halifax
The Volunteers features three bronze figures in honor of the work of thousands of women who volunteered during the Second World War. The public is invited to share…
Moving ImageParticipatory Family Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Community + Galleries
THEXXL Cypher, Multimedia Pop-up
by THEX Network, StokeDuds, Blaise Thex, Statez Twins (Quoia and QStatess), Jack from 808 Studios, aRENYE, Million Vibes, NotEvenGary, Quake Matthews, SFV Studios, Art by Prince, Oliver Carter, Harmsworth Design, Dmytro The Balanced & Major Collective
Market Price1477 Lower Water St, Halifax
A recurring Halifax cypher project inspired by the structure of the XXL Freshman Cyphers, but reshaped for the local scene. Featuring 3–5 vocalists, an original beat, and the…
Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Xeviqa AI Salon — Reimagining Beauty Through Artificial Intelligence
by Mohamad Masri
Halifax Waterfront
Xeviqa AI Salon is an interactive AI experience that invites visitors to explore identity and self-expression through virtual hairstyles, hair colours, and intelligent visual transformations.
InteractiveImmersive

Spring Garden + Universities

The library courtyard, the Public Gardens, Dal and the galleries up the hill.
Beacon
Places to Land
by Amber Helene Müller St Thomas
Halifax Central Library (front courtyard)5440 Spring Garden Rd
Places to Land invites visitors to slow down outside Halifax Central Library. The work centres on a group of custom bean bag chairs made in advance for this…
PerformanceInteractiveParticipatory Wheelchair accessible - Fully accessible
Beacon
Take Days
by Eleanor King
Halifax Central Library - Paul O'Regan Hall5440 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax, NS, B3J 1E9
Take Days is a call to action in three-part harmony. Performed by the Toronto’s Bach Children’s Chorus in 2023, it is presented as a multi-channel video and audio…
Spoken Word/SongMoving ImageImmersive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
(Un)Seen City: Systems Between
by Dalhousie Architecture Students Association, Adriana Lilley Osende, Christina García, Wilson Faught, Mahmoud Istanbouli & Claire MacDonald with support from Architecture49
Dalhousie School of Architecture5410 Spring Garden Rd
(Un)Seen City: Systems Between invites visitors to experience a familiar pedestrian corridor in an unfamiliar way. Through a series of temporary architectural interventions, the installation encourages curiosity about…
Immersive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Burnt Sugar Blue and Roger Mooking: SoundBites
by Dalhousie Art Gallery with support from Stina Baudin, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Bushra Junaid, Christina Leslie & francesca ekwuyasi
Dalhousie Art Gallery6101 University Avenue
Experience two concurrent exhibitions exploring how memory and lived experience are carried and transformed through material, image, sound, and storytelling. Burnt Sugar Blue, curated by francesca ekwuyasi, presents…
Exhibition
Community + Galleries
Connected
by Daniel Luques & Helen Verbanz
Victoria Park5720 Spring Garden Rr, Halifax
Our projects explore the intersection of spaces, physical movement, and dance, and the ability to tell stories, in a unique way. The films examine how physical working environments…
Moving Image Semi-accessible (rough terrain) - Enter through…
Community + Galleries
Cradling Peace in the Arms of Time: Turn back the Clock for Nuclear Disarmament
by Kathrin Winkler & Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace with support from Raging Grannies
Museum of Natural History1747 Summer St
Join Nova Scotia Voice of Women and the Halifax Raging Grannies in an activity based installation for peace and nuclear disarmament. Play the game that turns back the…
Interactive Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Hands-on Handmade Animation Studio
by Carbon Arc Cinema & Animation Festival of Halifax
Museum of Natural History, Board RoomGround Level, 1747 Summer St
Come play in our studio! Experience the magic and joy of making animation by hand. Newbies and pros alike can use materials like paper, cardboard, figurines, clay, and…
Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Illuminations
by Art & Soul with support from Spencer House
Green space near the Old Burial GroundsCorner of Barrington St & DaCosta Row
Illuminations is a collaborative community art project bringing together seniors from Spencer House, ISANS, and the 55+ community to create large illuminated lanterns. Through this public installation for…
IlluminatedSculpture Family
Community + Galleries
Ink, Paper, Imagination
by Inkwell Originals, Andrea Rahal & Daniel MacDonald
Inkwell Modern Handmade Boutique & Letterpress Studio Inc.1453 South Park Street
Print your own magic lens at Inkwell this Nocturne! Step up to our antique press, pull a print and take home a little viewer for seeing the city…
Take AwayInteractive Family Wheelchair accessible - Space is accessible…
Community + Galleries
Sonic Visions
by Fountain School of Performing Arts
Dalhousie Arts CentreRoom 406, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2
Sonic Visions features new creations for film and multichannel sound by Dalhousie's composition students.
Wheelchair accessible - Capacity: 50
Community + Galleries
STRATA
by Friends of the Halifax Memorial Library, Zuppa & Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax with support from Wasko AV, William Breckenridge & Emma FitzGerald
Old Memorial Library5381 Spring Garden Rd
STRATA invites you to imagine the future of the Memorial Library site — inside and out. Presented by Friends of the Halifax Memorial Library, Zuppa, and Mayworks, this…
IlluminatedInteractive Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
The Acoustic World of Whales
by Nashim Gargari, Jacob Caines & Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity with support from Jennifer Bain, John Batt & Mae Seto
Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity6375 Edzell Castle Circle, Halifax
The magnificent 18-metre blue whale skeleton at Halifax’s recently opened aquarium, the Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity, has inspired The Acoustic World of Whales. Audience members will experience…
PerformanceSound ArtImmersive Wheelchair accessible - Enter through the…
Community + Galleries
The Art of Birding
by Suzanne Rent, Andy Stadnyk & Jessica Helson with support from Various Additional Artists
Museum of Natural History1747 Summer Street
The Art of Birding, showing at the Natural History Museum, was inspired by local birders’ and artists’ desire to share our enjoyment of birds, birding, and time spent…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible

North End + Quinpool

Gottingen, Agricola, the Common and the Quinpool mural walks. Quieter, later.
Spotlight
Butcher's Block
by Breaking Circus Collective
Breaking Circus Studio2164 Barrington Street
Presented by Propeller Brewing, Butcher's Block is a 360 degree circus installation taking place at the Breaking Circus Studio. Featuring a city made of butcher's paper, the evening…
CircusPerformanceInteractive Family Wheelchair accessible - Limited free parking…
Community + Galleries
Arborea: A Gathering of Light
by Parkland at the Common
Parkland at the Common2017 Parker St, Halifax
Arborea: A Gathering of Light is a striking new outdoor art installation at Parkland at the Common. Inspired by the strength and beauty of a forest, its branching…
Illuminated Semi-accessible (rough terrain) - This installation…
Community + Galleries
CHARCOAL ART & CONTRA DANCE
by Halifax Contra Dances & Curtis Botham
All Nations Church2535 Robie St, Halifax
Join us at All Nations Church for 2 great experiences in one – there’s drop-in barn dancing with Halifax Contra Dances in the church hall, and a beautiful,…
InteractiveDanceExhibition Family Wheelchair accessible - Main entrance on…
Community + Galleries
Come and Draw with Geordan Moore
by Geordan Moore (a.k.a. The Quarrelsome Yeti) with support from Frabjous Delights Specialty Foods
Frabjous Delights Specialty Foods2530 Agricola Street
The time has come, to talk of many things: Come and Draw with Geordan Moore
InteractiveExhibition Family Not wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries7 PM – 9 PM
Guided Mural Walks on Quinpool Road
by Mike Burt & The Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association
Quinpool Road Mural Tour
Explore Quinpool Road's vibrant mural collection during Nocturne on a guided walking tour led by Halifax Mural Festival founder Mike Burt. Discover the stories, artists, and inspiration behind…
Here & ThereGuided
Community + Galleries
Queering the Map
by The Youth Project, Linnet Finley, Robin Aylward-Wolfe, Carmel Farahbakhsh & Kate MacDonald with support from Wonder'Neath Art Society
Wonder'neath2482 Maynard St
Come participate in Queering the Map, an interactive textile project led by the Youth Project in collaboration with Linnet Finely. This project aims to build a textile based…
InteractiveWorkshopEducation Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Songs for a Restless Heart
by Matthew Joel
St. George's Round Church2221 Maitland St
The world's first musical interpretation of the world's first autobiography, Augustine's Confessions.
PerformanceSpoken Word/SongExhibition Wheelchair accessible - Enter through the…
Community + Galleries
Thermal Nature as Commons
by Circulate
Commons FountainHalifax Common
Thermal Nature as Commons is a guided, felt-sensory and walk for the imagination for Nocturne: Art at Night, presented in two parts across two sites. Audiences are invited…
Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Community + Galleries
Tiny Wooden Robots - Vol II
by LoHiFi (Chris Little) & Shuvanjan Karmaker
Video Difference Buidling
LoHiFi brings the iconic lobby of 2b Theatre at Video Difference to life with kinetic art, comedy contraptions, and a legion of gear-driven wooden figures vying for your…
PerformanceSound ArtSculpture Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Community + Galleries
Ufuk Gueray: Black Olives
by Ufuk Gueray with support from HERMES Gallery
Hermes Gallery5682 North St
Black Olives is an exhibition populated by crude signs, bodily openings, awkward fish, interrupted figures and painted forms.
Exhibition Not wheelchair accessible

Downtown Dartmouth

Ferry Terminal Park, Alderney and the Craig Gallery. Ferry-Oke gets you there.
Anchor
Red Earth/Black Sea
by Rena Anakwe
World Peace PavilionFerry Terminal Park
Red Earth/Black Sea is a sound installation and sound performance, comprised of a written score formed through: found poetry, tape loops, voice, synth textures, samples and field recordings.…
PerformanceSound ArtImmersive Semi-accessible (rough terrain)
Community + Galleries
28th Annual Mosaic for Mental Health
by CMHA Halifax-Dartmouth Branch
The Craig Gallery2 Ochterloney St.
The Craig Gallery, Alderney is the backdrop for Mosaic for Mental Health, is an unprecedented and inclusive exhibition of art tiles that are displayed and sold in support…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Eroding Natures
by Moss Harvest with support from Renegade Records
Renegade Records30 Portland St.
Living in a city makes us long for a connection with our local environment. We carry a dream-like nostalgia for the memories we’ve had in the natural world.…
PerformanceSound ArtSpoken Word/Song Not wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Layers
by Dartmouth Adult Services Centre (DASC) Artists
Alderney Gate Public Library60 Alderney Dr
Layers brings together artwork by DASC artists exploring the experiences, perspectives, identities, challenges, and strengths that exist beyond a diagnosis or label. Through individual and collaborative works, the…
Exhibition Wheelchair accessible - Enter through the…
Community + Galleries
Noticing
by The Trainyard & Erin Ferguson
The Trainyard137 Portland Street
How much of your daily commute do you really notice? Would you recognize common structures, murals or other reference points if they were isolated and zoomed in? You're…
Interactive Family Not wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
Paying Attention to What Grows
by Youth Participants at the MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning
MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning50 Queen St
What happens when youth are provided a space to create and build connections? What do youth notice? How do they feel it in their bodies? What do they…
Exhibition Family Wheelchair accessible
Community + Galleries
WATERFRONT EXPLORATIONS
by The Craig Gallery
Alderney Landing2 Ochterloney St
Waterfront Explorations is an interactive, self-guided art intervention that invites participants to slow down, activate their senses, and map their embodied experience of the city’s coastal skyline.
InteractiveHere & ThereGuided Family Wheelchair accessible

Hours, locations and access notes are the festival’s own, pulled from nocturnehalifax.ca on 2026-09-11. Programs shift in the last week; the project page is the final word.

Thu + Sun

Beyond Saturday

The lead-up and the low-sensory day
ThuOct 153 PM – 6 PM
Spotlight
Halifax Municipal Archives Nocturne Scan-a-thon
by Halifax Municipal Archives
Coastal Can · Salt Yard
Halifax Municipal Archives is hosting a drop-in Scan-a-thon to help preserve Nocturne's incredible history! Bring photos and ephemera to donate to the Archives' collection, either by donating the original and keeping the scanned digital copy for yourself, or by donating…
SunOct 18noon – 5 PM
Low-Sensory Sunday
The Loom Of Lost Words
by Maryam Zaraimajin
Halifax Public Gardens, Family Lawn · Summer St & Spring Garden Rd
The Loom of Lost Words is an interactive installation exploring the connections between language, memory, and belonging. Inspired by Kurdish weaving traditions and oral storytelling, the work invites visitors to become part of an evolving textile by contributing their own…

Questions everyone asks

Festival FAQ →
Is it actually free?
Yes. Every project in the program is free to attend; no tickets, no wristbands. Some partner venues run their own paid events on the night, but those are not Nocturne projects.
What time does it end?
Midnight for nearly everything on Saturday. A handful of projects keep shorter hours (the Quinpool mural walks run 7 to 9), and the listing on each card says so.
Is there anything before or after Saturday?
Two things: a Thursday-afternoon lead-up at the Halifax Municipal Archives (Oct 15, 3 to 6) and Low-Sensory Sunday, a single daytime, sensory-friendly project on Oct 18 from noon to 5.
How accessible is it?
Each project page on nocturnehalifax.ca lists wheelchair access, washrooms, ASL and sensory notes; we carry the wheelchair line on each card here. Outdoor waterfront sites are the ones most often marked semi-accessible.
Kids?
Most of it. Thirty-odd projects are tagged family friendly by the festival, and a lot of it is outdoors. The later it gets, the thinner the crowd of strollers.
What is “Embodied City”?
The 2026 curatorial theme, from curator Annalise Prodor: the city as a body, and bodies in the city. The four anchor projects (Grand Parade, the AGNS courtyard, the Granville Park stage and the Dartmouth ferry terminal) carry it most directly.
Sources · Checked Sep 11, 2026
Festival site — nocturnehalifax.ca
2026 projects — full program + My List
Map — festival map
How the program is built — anchors, beacons, spotlights
Access + policies — festival policies
Volunteer — sign up
Halifax Now doesn’t programme Nocturne. Everything above is the festival’s own published information; project-level details always defer to nocturnehalifax.ca.