Get Connected With The Resources You Need
Events deliver significant economic and social benefits to Nova Scotia. They generate new money, help our communities and community organizations build capacity, leave legacy infrastructure, provide learning and best practices, and help attract first-time visitors to Nova Scotia.
We work with communities and event organizers to recognize the event hosting potential in their community. Then, we support them in the development, or bidding and attraction of major events that will impact Nova Scotia, both now and in the future.
For guidance on operating events safely under COVID-19, consult our COVID-19 Advice For Events which is based on recommendations from Nova Scotia Public Health and colleagues across Government.
Funding Opportunities
The Nova Scotia Event Strategy outlines how our province plans to develop, attract and fund events that will showcase our culture, sport, heritage and competitive advantages to audiences from around the world.
The Nova Scotia Event Strategy is supported by six key pillars. Pillar one is the development of funding themes to encourage a diverse long-term calendar of major events that drive increased visitation and leave a legacy for sport, community and culture.
Funding themes include:
Culture spotlight: Investing in events that showcase our culture and heritage. Examples would be the JUNO Awards or Canadian Country Music Week – or investment in a new event that celebrates our culture.
Major sport theme: This is about supporting major sporting events that we can own – that are authentic to our province. Examples include hockey, curling, golf or water sports.
Winter theme: This is about supporting events that extend the tourism season and help draw visitors to Nova Scotia between November and June.
Generation next theme: This theme is about supporting new ideas for events that support visitor trends. What would draw the younger audiences?
The lion theme: We know we have a number of signature events like Celtic Colours and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo – the lion theme would support those events – helping them grow or perhaps in some cases export.
Festival and community event development: Supporting smaller festival and events in communities across Nova Scotia. Read more here.
For information on any of these funding themes, contact one of our event advisors.
Support Services
How We Help
Is there an event you’d like to attract or develop in your community?
Contact us and we can help you. We’ll research the event, the bidding process and the requirements for hosting.
Want to see more events held in your community but aren't sure how to make it happen?
We work with communities to develop event strategies that will help them understand the benefits of hosting major events. We also work to ensure groups are attracting the right-sized event for their community. We can also help assess your capacity.
Do you have an event you would like to bring to Canada’s east coast?
Learn more about all that Nova Scotia has to offer. We have a proven track record of success in hosting major events.
guide to planning and hosting festivals and events in nova scotia
Education and capacity building is one of the six key pillars of the Nova Scotia Event Strategy. Ensuring event organizers have the tools they need to better understand the business of events is key to helping communities realize their event hosting potential.
With 12 chapters, free templates and advice from successful event hosts, our Guide to Planning and Hosting Festivals and Events in Nova Scotia will walk you through everything you need to know.
the atlantic huddle: a webinar series
Events Nova Scotia, in partnership with Event Atlantic, launched a webinar series titled the Atlantic Huddle in the fall of 2020. The webinar series is educational in nature and aims to address challenges and opportunities in the Atlantic Canadian events industry due to COVID-19.
The series ran from October 7 to November 25, 2020. Topics that were addressed include: event insurance and sponsorship; staying connected to your audience after a cancellation; moving to digital platforms; research on public perception of events and more.
watch recordings of the Atlantic Huddle Webinar Series
Economic Impact Studies
A key pillar of the Nova Scotia Event Strategy is measurement. We need to understand the return on our investment from a financial, social, and cultural perspective. We have conducted several economic impact studies with organizations across the province helping provide a better understanding of return on investment.
Media & Resources
Marketing Nova Scotia as a destination with a unique experience and a strategic plan to invest in events is a key pillar of the Nova Scotia Event Strategy.
We are a government with a plan for events, funding, planning help and partnership opportunities.
If you need the tools to market your community, or build a strong bid, get in touch with our team. Our role is to market our destination as an event host leader, highlighting our competitive edge: our people, our culture and our welcoming nature.
