The Halifax Regional Municipality has decided to set Dartmouth on fire this weekend.
The Fall Festival of Fire, a new annual event from the municipality, will take place on Saturday at Alderney Landing. The festival will feature the first fire sculpture seen in Atlantic Canada – a sculpture of a wildflower from San Francisco’s Charles A. Gadeken.
Gadeken, who has travelled the world with his fire art, said the sculpture will not be soon forgotten.
“I’m beyond excited to bring fire art to Canada,” he said in an HRM release. “This is a truly original piece that will be remembered for years to come.”
“The piece … will end up igniting in an eight foot flame with almost like a tornado effect out of the top of the flame,” said Billy Comer of the municipality’s civic events department. “The sculpture is something that has never been seen in the Atlantic provinces, there’s going to be a lot of visuals that will shock some people that night.”
In addition to the fire sculpture, a projection art piece will light up one side of Alderney Landing, with multi-hued flames dancing on the canvas. “The building will turn into a 120-foot wide, 60 to 70-foot high projection piece,” Comer said.
The festival will also feature a number of Halloween-themed activities, including a haunted house and a costume contest, with $2,000 in prizes. Comer said the night will finish with a fire works display, “a great end to any night.” Festivities get under way around 6 p.m., and admission is free.
