Emera Oval to host New Year's Eve celebration in Halifax

Halifax's annual New Year's Eve celebration will be held at the Emera Oval this year.

The event — normally held at Grand Parade in front of city hall — is moving because that area is now being used as a tent encampment amid the city's housing crisis.

There is an evening family skate starting at 10 p.m. Musical entertainment begins at 11 p.m., headlined by Rankin MacInnis.

There will be fireworks and a New Year's countdown at the end.

There will be an additional skate from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and a countdown and fireworks display at 9 p.m. for families with young children.

The New Year's Day levee at city hall has been cancelled this year in light of the housing crisis, with regional council using the money to fund meals for people sleeping in tents.

Here's what's open and closed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in the Halifax area:

Food and drink 

• Seaport Farmers' Market: closed Sunday.
• Gateway Meat Market: closing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, closed on Jan. 1.
• Atlantic Superstore: closing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, closed on Jan. 1.
• Sobeys: closing at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, closed on Jan. 1.
• NSLC: closing at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, closed on Jan. 1.
• Moosehead Cold Beer Store/Windmill Road: open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 and noon-8 p.m. Jan. 1.

Pharmacies 

• Shoppers Drug Mart: Most stores are open New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Operating hours may vary.
• Lawtons Drugs: Most stores are open on Dec. 31. Operating hours may vary on Jan 1.
• Guardian: some locations are open. Check to confirm hours of operation.
• The Medicine Shoppe: some locations are open. Check to confirm hours of operation.
• Costco: Halifax and Dartmouth locations closing at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 and are closed on Jan. 1.
• Walmart: all locations close at 6 p.m. Dec. 31. All locations are closed Jan. 1.

Public services

• In HRM, there will be no garbage, organics and recyclable collection services on New Year's Day.
• Regular collections will resume on Tuesday, Jan 2. 
• The household special waste depot will be closed on New Year's Day, reopening on Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The Otter Lake waste facility will be closed both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
• The municipal recycling plant will be closed on Jan. 1.
• All branches of the Halifax Public Libraries are closed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. 
• The Halifax Regional Municipality's 311 contact centre is closed to general inquiries on New Year's Day. Residents can still call 311 for urgent concerns about transportation, municipal operations, facilities, animal services and illegally parked vehicles. 
• Halifax's in-person customer service centres located at Alderney Gate, Bayers Road and Musquodoboit Harbour recreation centre and library are closed Jan. 1. 
• On-street parking is free on Monday, Jan.1. However, drivers must abide by other posted signs. If a weather event occurs, the winter parking ban will come into effect.

Transit 

• Halifax Transit will offer free, extended bus and Alderney Ferry service on New Year's Eve from 6 p.m. until various end times depending on route, usually around 2 a.m. Jan.1. 
• Access-A-bus service will also offer free fares after 6 p.m. until the end of regular service hours. For more information on accessible transportation options that go later into the night, visit this page.
• Last ferries will depart Alderney at 1:30 a.m. and Halifax at 1:45 a.m. 
• There is no Woodside ferry service on Dec. 31st. 
• Halifax Transit buses will operate on holiday service schedules on New Year's Day. This is the same as the Sunday reduced service schedule. Check online for individual route information. 
• No ferries will be running on New Year's Day.

 Malls 

• Halifax Shopping Centre and Mic Mac Mall are closing at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31st, and are closed Jan. 1st.
• Park Lane Mall, Scotia Square, Sunnyside Mall, Bedford Place Mall and Dartmouth Crossing are closed on New Year's Day. Some malls will close early on New Year's Eve. 

Recreation facilities 

• Many recreation facilities have been operating on holiday schedules from Christmas Eve and will continue until Jan. 2. Call ahead to check holiday operating hours. 
• The Emera Oval is open for the season, weather depending. Holiday skates are scheduled for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, weather depending. 

Canada Post 

• All post offices will be closed and there is no collection or delivery of mail.