NOVEMBER | REVIEW
Nova Scotia:
inside and out
Nova Scotia is a growing force on the festival
and events map, as festival planners from inside
and outside the destination attest
N
ova Scotia, which boasts direct flights
from New York and London, has been
creeping onto the world’s radar of
late. A tipple from its winery Benjamin Bridge
was recently championed by chef Gordon
Ramsey, and the destination was selected as
the film location for The Lighthouse, a soon-
to-be-released movie starring Batman-to-be
Robert Pattinson.
The Canadian maritime province, whose
population just reached an all-time high of
971,395, also hit the headlines in September
after a freak storm saw the locals pull
together to barely leave a trace of debris the
following day.
Nova Scotia’s natural beauty, and sparkling
wines, were taken in by Access when we
travelled its length and breadth to check
out what it has to offer for events. Along the
“I was blown away by their
level of support and how
proactive they are – how they
develop relationships. It’s a real
hustler mentality.”
38
way, we met some of the people behind its
emergence as an up-and-coming festival
destination.
Dan Andrew, co-founder BeKnown Music,
warmed to Nova Scotia’s festival and music
industry prowess after being invited for a
tour with fellow promoters and industry big
wigs with a view to upping the destination’s
music and event offering.
“It’s one of my favourite provinces for
sure. Canada in general just gets music
right, it serves the industry amazingly. I
went to the East Coast Music Association
Awards and was briefed on the export and
import strategy there. I got flown out with
other event planners and had an amazing
experience. I’ve been there twice to check out
St Johns and Hopscotch Festival, a hip-hop
offering.
“I was blown away by their level of support
and how proactive they are – how they
develop relationships. It’s a real hustler
mentality. They support acts coming over,
and promote their own acts. We shared our