Nightlife

For starters, stop by the visitor center or the front desk of your hotel and ask for a copy of Where Halifax, a comprehensive monthly guide to the city's entertainment. Among the city's premier venues for shows are the downtown Halifax Metro Centre, 1800 Argyle St. (tel. 902/421-8000), which hosts sporting events and concerts by a wide variety of artists.

Performing Arts

Shakespeare by the Sea (tel. 902/422-0295) stages a whole line of bardic and non-bardic productions July through August at several alfresco venues around the city. Most are held at Point Pleasant Park, where the ruins of old forts and buildings are used as the stage settings for delightful performances, with the audience sprawled on the grass, many enjoying picnic dinners with their Taming of the Shrew. Shows are technically free, though the players suggest a donation of C$10 (US$9/£5) per person. The occasional more elaborate productions at other locations (past shows have included King Lear at the Citadel and Titus Andronicus at the park's Martello tower) have limited seating, with ticket prices that might range up to C$30 (US$27/£15).

The Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle St. (tel. 902/429-7070), benefited from a C$13.5-million renovation and now also includes an intimate 200-seat studio theater. Top-notch dramatic productions are offered throughout the year. (The main season runs Sept-May, with a summer season filling in the gap with eclectic performances.) Main-stage tickets range generally from around C$15 to C$45 (US$14-US$41/£7.50-£23).

For a more informal dramatic night out, there's the Grafton Street Dinner Theater, 1741 Grafton St. (tel. 902/425-1961), which typically offers light musicals and mysteries with a three-course dinner (choice of prime rib, salmon, or chicken). Adult tickets cost about C$35 (US$32/£18), half-price for children 12 and under.

Club & Bar Scene

The young and restless tend to congregate in pubs, in nightclubs, and at street corners along two axes that converge at the public library: Grafton Street and Spring Garden Road. If you're thirsty, wander the neighborhoods around here and you're likely to find a spot that could serve as a temporary home for the evening. One of the coolest places to hang out is Economy Shoe Shop (tel. 902/423-7463) at 1663 Argyle St., not a shop but rather a cafe-slash-bar where many of Halifax's prettiest people wind up sooner or later. Helpfully, they serve some sort of food all the way until 2am, and the wine list is impressive. In the evening (and late afternoons on Sat), you'll also find lively Maritime music and good beer at the Lower Deck Pub (tel. 902/425-1501), one of the popular restaurants in the Historic Properties complex on the waterfront. There's music nightly, and often on Saturday afternoons. Among the clubs offering local rock, ska, and the like are the Marquee Club, 2041 Gottingen St. (tel. 902/423-2072), and The Attic, 1741 Grafton St. (tel. 902/423-0909). Maxwell's Plum at 1600 Grafton St. (tel. 902/423-5090) is a free-for-all English pub where peanut shells litter the floor and there are dozens upon dozens of selections of import and Canadian draft and bottled beers. Happy-hour specials run about C$2.50 (US$2.25/£1.25) a bottle for a selected import each night.

Check The Coast, Halifax's free weekly newspaper (widely available), for listings of upcoming performances.