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Nova Scotia International Tattoo Parade

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grannola
grannola
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Nova Scotia International Tattoo Parade

  • July 9, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by grannola from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia International Tattoo Parade

The Tattoo Parade is a great way for families to get a small taste of the Tattoo without the expense of tickets. Obviously the Tattoo is much more exciting than the short parade, but even that would be too much to sit through with a baby.

The Tattoo is an international military display, featuring bands, acrobats, and military displays from countries all over the world. It is held annually at the Halifax Metro Centre and it is truly a spectacle.

The Parade only had about 10 participating groups, which made it nice and short. Perfect for watching on a nice day with the kids.

The parade route starts right across from Citadel Hill so there was a great crowd to watch the beginning. It turned right at the corner and made a loop, coming back past the same spot it started and fininshing at the Halifax Metro Centre. This is really convenient because it times well for leaving the festivities at the Citadel (which end around 12pm).

The parade started at 12:30. By the time we got out of the citadel and down to a good watching spot we had missed the first few bands. When the parade ended we started walking towards the Natural History Museum and realized the parade was coming right back to us. So we watched it again.

The first entry was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, dressed in their full uniforms. There were several military marching bands represented. There were pipe and drum bands, marching bands, etc.

The non-band entries included an army presentation float, where soldiers had to run around and perform drills on the back of a truck. There was also an acrobat group. The mayor rode on the back of a convertible, and the tattoo volunteers marched by.

It was a very hot day so we were happy that we found a spot in the shade to watch the parade the first time. The side of Citadel hill was a great vantage point because even the little ones could see everything that was going on.

The Official Parade Route is:
Form up at Royal Artillery Park
East on Sackville St
South on Brunswick St
West on Spring Garden Rd
North on South Park St
North on Brunswick St
East on Duke St. (End at Metro Centre).

Even though we watched the parade twice, we still walked up to the Museum by about 1pm.

Tickets for the actual Tattoo run from about $20 to $50, which is more that I would want to spend with little kids, but the show is really quite something for older kids and adults, and well worth the price. The show runs for about a week, with over 2,000 performers from around the world.

There are other 'sneak preview' type shows around Halifax, at the Public Gardens etc, which are generally also free. Again, you don't get the full effect, but with a family, it's probably the better option.

From journal Canada Day: A Day-Long Family Party in Halifax

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