Halifax Pop Explosion
| Halifax Pop Explosion | |
|---|---|
| File:Halifax Pop Explosion (logo).jpg Halifax Pop Explosion logo | |
| Genre | Indie rock, hip hop, punk rock, country, folk, experimental |
| Dates | Every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving |
| Location(s) | Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada  |
| Years active | 1993–1999 2001 – present |
| Website | halifaxpopexplosion |
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The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the name of the Halifax alternative rock music scene as a whole, which at that time featured acts such as Sloan and Thrush Hermit.
History
Founded in 1993, the Halifax Pop Explosion has actually been three different events that are now remembered as one long standing event. The original Halifax Pop Explosion, which was operated as private business from 1993–1995, was created as a platform to celebrate Halifax's newfound fame as the "Seattle of the North" and home of Canadian grunge, as well as to promote local bands such as Sloan, The Inbreds, Jale, The Super Friendz and Thrush Hermit.
The company that organized the festival went out of business and a new organization launched the "Halifax On Music Festival", which ran successfully but not profitably for four years. The festival did not take place in 2000.
In 2001, Waye Mason, the past owner of the Halifax On Music Festival, created the not-for-profit Halifax Pop Explosion Association to operate the festival for the good of the music community, abandoning any pretense that the event had long term profitability. The festival name returned to the Halifax Pop Explosion and it has doubled in size since 2001. The Festival has expanded its programming to support other genres within the independent music community as well as the power pop that it is best known for. It now features acts from hip hop and electronica to folk rock and alt-country to punk and hardcore and everything in between. With 180 plus bands in 20 venues all around town over five days the festival exhibits considerable breadth in presenting new music.
Related events
In addition to the music, the Halifax Pop Explosion also continues to support a variety of independent arts and pop-culture events. The Indie Zine and Label Fair, which had been growing since 1996, was replaced in 2006 by three events: the #POPular Conference, a DIY and independent music-focused conference; Halifax Zine Fair, the Atlantic Canada edition of the zine fair and independent publishing event curated by Broken Pencil Magazine; and a series of art gallery exhibitions stage around town.
See also
External links
- Halifax Pop Explosion official website