Sir Paul McCartney, the Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival, Kiss, the Atlantic Jazz Festival and Halifax Pride. It’s a mouthful even to read.
These massive events are calling Nova Scotia their home over the next three weeks, bringing an unpredictable number of people into Halifax, Patricia Lyall, president and CEO of Destination Halifax, said yesterday.
Lyall said there’s no question that it’s easier to bring attractions to Halifax during the summer months, but the cluster of events was out of anyone’s hands. She said the Tall Ships, along with McCartney and Kiss, are on a worldwide circuit, so it’s hard to influence the scheduling.
Josh Robinson, owner of the Harbour Sugar Shack on the Halifax Harbour, said as a small business owner he has to prepare more than others for the rush. He’s hoping to be approved to sell hotdogs as well as his usual cotton candy, popcorn and snowcones, which could double his revenue.
“During a previous Tall Ships I sold 400 bottles of water in five hours,” Robinson said yesterday above the bustle of the waterfront. “You’ve got to have 10 times the amount you would have on a regular day, because it will definitely sell.”
Despite the recent wrath of muggy weather, Lyall has high hopes for tourism in Halifax over the next three weeks.
“There is no question we are at our best when the sun is shining,” Lyall said. “But the weather doesn’t have that much of an impact upon (the attractions) because people want to do it anyway.”
Dave Denny, spokesman for Tourism Nova Scotia, said the Visitor Information offices are geared up and ready for flocks of people, but nothing out of the ordinary is being done to prepare for the rest of the busy month.
“With the two concerts back-to-back and the Tall Ships in between, it seems to be a perfect storm of events,” Denny said. “Hopefully the weather will hold out.”
