Nocturne Halifax Festival 2025 | Event Information & Guide

Author: Kurt NorrisPosted on:
Nocturne Halifax Festival

Prepare for a weekend of luminescence and creativity. Nocturne returns for its 18th annual Art-at-Night Festival, bringing inspiring installations and performances to streets, galleries, and public spaces across Halifax and downtown Dartmouth. Use this guide to plan your visit, and book your stay at Cameo Hotel & Suites to be close to the action.

Nocturne Halifax Festival 2025: General Information

First held in 2008, Nocturne has grown into the city’s premier contemporary art festival, transforming urban spaces with free, accessible art from local, national, and international artists. Here is everything you need to know about Nocturne 2025.

Event Dates

  • Nocturne Halifax Festival 2025 Dates: October 16–19, 2025

The Nocturne Art-at-Night Festival is traditionally held every third weekend of October, starting on Thursday night and going through Sunday. This year’s event will be held from October 16th to October 19th, 2025, with the Main Project Showcase on Saturday, October 18th from 6:00 PM to Midnight.

Locations

  • Address: 1546 Barrington St, Halifax, NS

The Nocturne Festival features several festival zones throughout Halifax and downtown Dartmouth. Along with the breathtaking art displays found in public spaces, the festival also features community galleries found in participating venues across the city. The Nocturne Hub @ the Pop Can will again serve as the central information and amenities point.

Ticket Prices

Nocturne’s Art-at-Night Festival is entirely free to the public. However, the organization does welcome donations to help support future events and community initiatives.

Nocturne Festival Halifax

Nocturne Art-at-Night Festival Highlights

Throughout the Nocturne Festival, the streets of Halifax will be illuminated with fabulous art displays from local, national, and international artists. Each display is commissioned or selected for a variety of different projects, including some of the following highlights.

Anchor Projects

Specifically selected by the event’s curator, Anchor Projects are the centrepieces of the Nocturne Festival and establish the annual theme while promoting the talents of the local art community. These are often the largest and most intricate displays of the event and can be found in all festival zones.

This year, curator Marite Kuus has chosen the theme Ground. Selected art displays will explore our relationships to land, place, and material as ways of connecting individuals and communities. Kuus has selected four Anchor Projects to bring this vision to life.

  • a bead, a breath by Carrie Allison
  • Remember Ktaqmkuk in Peace & Friendship by Megan Samms
  • Wandering Ground by Lou Sheppard & Germaine Koh
  • Night Bloomers by Maria Simmons

Beacon Projects

While the Anchor Projects serve as the focal point of the festival zones, Beacon Projects are the event’s community highlight. These projects are artist-submitted works selected by the event’s committee. Highlighting local, national, and international talent, these art displays can be found in several public spaces throughout Halifax and Dartmouth during the festival.

Some 2025 highlights include:

  • Points of Departure by Fortner Anderson
  • Walls That Speak by Damini Awoyiga & Boma Nnaji
  • Prismatic Trespassing by Éric-Olivier Thériault
  • Different Shoots, Same Roots by Jeighk Koyote
  • Drawn to It by Amber Solberg
  • WHAT WILL THE WORMS THINK OF ME? by Bethany MacKenzie
  • Real Estate Agent vs. the Angel of History by Emma Chapman-Lin & Charlie MacLean
  • Absent Currents by Kate Solar
  • Untitled (Clock Piece) by Susannah Haight
  • Singing from the Ground Up by The Aeolian Singers

Spotlight Projects

Spotlight Projects are funded through private sponsorship and specifically selected by Nocturne organizers to enhance the festival’s overall experience and set an atmosphere appropriate to the selected theme.

Spotlight Projects for 2025 include:

  • Let’s Draw by Maxime Touroute
  • Regarding Land by Jumana Emil Abboud
  • NOISEmakers 2025 by Olena Yanchuk, Xing (Johnny) Mu, Yawen Zhou, Margaryta Logvyn, Vita Fomenko, Yue Li & Nahom Assefa
  • Gathering in a Good Way by Sydney Wreaks & Land Connects Us
  • X: Where our Paths Cross by Peter Morin & Leah Decter
  • cast away & caught ashore by Daniel Rumbolt

Leadup Events

Nocturne holds a variety of specialty events in the weeks leading up to the festival. These include workshops, artist panels, and community programming. Notable 2025 events include the Opening Artist Talk with Peter Morin & Leah Decter on Thursday evening, and the Propeller Launch Party on opening night.

Where to Stay for the Nocturne Halifax Festival

If you are attending the festival from out of town, consider booking a room at Cameo Hotel & Suites. Located in the Entertainment District of downtown Halifax, we are just steps from some of the event's top art displays, many of which can be admired from the comforts of your own private room or suite.

Don't forget to check out other upcoming events and festivals coming to Halifax.