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Give a hand · Halifax & Dartmouth

The city runs
on volunteers.

Every festival on the harbour and every hamper out of Burnside runs on somebody signing up for a shift. Below: standing roles that take applications year-round, and the festival crew calls — with the season each one opens, because the big ones close months before the event.

Every listing here is taken from the organization's own volunteer page, with a link to it. Checked Aug 10, 2026. Shift counts and openings change — the org's page is the last word.
8
Festival calls tracked
15
Ongoing roles verified
Sep 16
Next festival — AIFF opens
18+
Age floor on most shifts
23 listings
Cause:
8 tracked

Festival crews

Suggest a call
Sep 16–23, 2026
Applications open

Atlantic International Film Festival

Eight days of film every September — the festival’s biggest volunteer need of the year.

Apply now — September fills through the summer
AIFF volunteer page · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Oct 15–18, 2026 · main night Sat Oct 17
Mailing list now

Nocturne: Art at Night

Halifax’s all-night art festival. Ambassadors, artist support, setup and teardown.

Call opens early summer — join the volunteer mailing list
nocturnehalifax.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Held Jul 7–12, 2026
Closed until spring

TD Halifax Jazz Festival

Nova Scotia’s largest summer festival. Applications open in the spring.

2026 applications opened in May — watch for the 2027 call
halifaxjazzfestival.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
May 21–23, 2027
Opens in the spring

Medavie Blue Nose Marathon

Up to 1,000 volunteers for one race weekend. Registration through VolunteerLocal.

Registration runs through VolunteerLocal ahead of race weekend
bluenosemarathon.com · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Held Jul 16–26, 2026 · parade Sat Jul 18
Closed until spring

Halifax Pride

Eleven days each July, run largely by volunteers. Calls go out in early spring.

2026 sign-up opened May 7 — calls for event volunteers post in early spring
halifaxpride.com · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Nov 6–8, 2026
Applications open

Hal-Con

Atlantic Canada’s biggest sci-fi, fantasy and gaming convention — run entirely by volunteers.

Applications open now — roles fill as the November date approaches
Hal-Con volunteer page · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Held Jul 1–5, 2026 · applications year-round
Recruiting year-round

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

A week-long production at the Scotiabank Centre — one of the few calls open all year.

Accepting applications year-round — June 13 to July 3 is the peak production period, with teardown July 4–8
Tattoo volunteer page · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
Held Jul 29–Aug 3, 2026
Closed until spring

Halifax Busker Festival

Six days of street performance on the waterfront — the oldest festival of its kind in Canada.

Buskers volunteer page · Checked Aug 10, 2026 Roles →
15 organizations

Ongoing roles

Suggest an org
Weekly
Food security
Feed Nova Scotia
Warehouse assistant
🕘 Weekly shifts · groups Mon afternoon–Fri morning, 9am–12pm or 1–4pm
📍 67 Wright Ave, Burnside, Dartmouth
feednovascotia.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Animals
Nova Scotia SPCA
Shelter volunteer
🕘 Ongoing, long-term commitment
📍 Dartmouth shelter, 5 Scarfe Court (plus five shelters province-wide)
novascotiaspca.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Literacy
Halifax Public Libraries
Literacy Help & Upgrading tutor
🕘 Scheduled 2–3 hours a week, minimum three months
📍 Branches across HRM
halifaxpubliclibraries.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Youth
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Halifax
In-school mentor
🕘 One hour a week, at the child’s school, during school hours
📍 Schools across Greater Halifax
bigbrothersbigsisters.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Seasonal
Environment
Ecology Action Centre
Action teams & urban farm
🕘 Farm sites need support May–October · action teams year-round
📍 Common Roots farms: BiHi (Halifax) and Woodside (Dartmouth)
ecologyaction.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Housing
Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia
ReStore volunteer
🕘 Book shifts on the volunteer calendar, at least a week ahead
📍 ReStore, Dartmouth
habitatns.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Seniors
Northwood
Core Volunteer Program
🕘 Same day and time each week, 2–3 hours · four-month minimum
📍 Campuses in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford & Beaverbank
northwoodcare.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Monthly
Health
Hospice Halifax
Hospice volunteer
🕘 Minimum four hours a month, twelve-month commitment
📍 618 Francklyn St, Halifax
hospicehalifax.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Food security
Souls Harbour Rescue Mission
Meals & Mission Mart
🕘 Meal service and thrift store shifts · arranged when you apply
📍 Halifax · Mission Mart at 265 Susie Lake Cres, Bayers Lake
soulsharbour.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Sport
Special Olympics Halifax
Program volunteer or coach
🕘 Ongoing, season-based — programs run year-round across multiple sports
📍 Programs across Halifax
specialolympicshfx.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Community
Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia
Conversation Circle facilitator
🕘
📍 Mumford Road, Halifax · plus the Youth and Family Centre in west-end Halifax
isans.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Health
Nova Scotia Health
Ambassador volunteer
🕘 Two to three hours a week on a regular day, four-month minimum
📍 QEII Halifax Infirmary, QEII Victoria General, Camp Hill, Dartmouth & Eastern Shore, or Bayers Lake & Cobequid
nshealth.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Health
IWK Health
Core Program volunteer
🕘 Regular weekly shift, six-month minimum · most placements weekdays 9:30am–4:00pm
📍 5850 / 5980 University Ave, Halifax
iwkhealth.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Weekly
Food security
Hope Cottage
Meal service volunteer
🕘 About one hour at meal times, five days a week — or cook meals off-site for service
📍 2435 Brunswick St, Halifax
hopecottage.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
Housing
Out of the Cold Community Association
Make a meal for residents
🕘 One meal at a time — lunches and suppers, no ongoing minimum
📍 Halifax: 5580 Cogswell St · Dartmouth: 7 Church St
outofthecold-hfx.ca · Checked Aug 10, 2026
For organizers

Need a crew?

Send us your call and we'll list it free, linked to your own application page — roles, dates and who's eligible. Festival calls get pinned while they're open.

Submit a volunteer call →