Remembrance Day: where are the ceremonies, what’s open and what’s closed

Nova Scotians will pause at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to pay tribute to our veterans.

There will be several Remembrance Day ceremonies taking place throughout the Halifax-area Saturday.

The municipality says, if you're planning on heading to one of them, it's a good idea to give yourself plenty of time to get around construction projects like St Margarets Bay Road and Glendale Avenue.

They also warn it might be challenging to find a parking spot.

Halifax Transit will be running on a holiday schedule, and will be free for all veterans and military personnel and accompanying family members on November 11th.

In addition, the municipality say processions to and from ceremonies will cause rolling street closures in some areas including:

• Cenotaph at the Halifax Armouries, North Park Street, Halifax, starting at 10:15 a.m.
• Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Lower Water Street, Halifax, starting at 10:20 a.m.
• Cenotaph at Grand Parade, Halifax, starting at 10:30 a.m.
• Royal Canadian Legion, Somme Branch #31, King Street, Dartmouth, starting at 10:30 a.m.
• Royal Canadian Legion, Dieppe Branch #90, Rocky Lake Drive, Waverley, starting at 10:50 a.m.
• Cenotaph at Sackville Heritage Park, Memory Lane, Sackville, starting at 10:45 a.m.
• Cenotaph at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall, Sussex Street, Spryfield, starting at 10:45 a.m.

HRM says delays could go as late as 1:30 p.m., drivers are being asked to obey officers directing traffic and be aware of more pedestrians than normal on streets near ceremonies.

Veterans Affairs lists the following events in the Halifax-area on November 11th:
 
Remembrance Day Commemorations
Time:               10:00 – 15:00
Details:            Parks Canada and the Halifax Citadel are honoured to join in Remembrance Day commemorations in Halifax on November 11th. Starting at 11:00 a.m., the 1st Field Artillery Regiment will fire a 21-gun salute followed by the noon gun. The Halifax Citadel and Army Museum will be open to visitors from 10 am until 3 pm. Take the opportunity to visit the First World War trench exhibit inside the Citadel’s defensive ditch and tour the Army Museum’s First World War exhibit, Road to Vimy and Beyond, which honours the sacrifice of the soldiers, many of them from Nova Scotia.
Location:          Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
Address:           5425 Sackville Street in Halifax

Remembrance Day Ceremony
Time:              10:30 – 11:30
Details:           HMCS SCOTIAN holds a public Remembrance Day ceremony at the Sailor’s Memorial in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax wherein attendees are invited to pay tribute to and honour the memory of Canadians who have served their country in times of war. Wreaths are laid on behalf of organizations with ties to the Atlantic seafaring community. The ceremony is open to the public and free of charge.
Location:         Sailor’s Memorial at Point Pleasant Park
Address:          5718 Point Pleasant Drive in Halifax

Remembrance Day Ceremony
Time:              10:30 – 11:30
Details:           Annual Remembrance Day Service at Halifax Grand Parade. Parade and ceremony will begin at approximately 10:45am. Ceremony is open to the public.
Location:         Grand Parade
Address:          1770 Barrington Street in  Halifax

Letters from the Front: A Remembrance Day Performance
Time:              13:00 – 16:00
Details:           For this moving Remembrance Day tribute, members of Halifax Dance’s Young Company will perform a series of contemporary dances inspired by the Second World War correspondence of one of the choreographer’s grandparents. A narrator will lead audiences of 25 through a series of short, site-specific performances in the Pier 21 Story permanent exhibition, creating an intimate and inspiring tribute to the Canadians who served and sacrificed on the battlefield and the home front. Visitors should check in at the assembly point in the Hall of Tribute for time stamped tickets to the hourly performances, that will be given out on a first come first served basis.
Location:         Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Address:          1055 Marginal Road in Halifax

7th Annual Hammonds Plains-Lucasville Remembrance Day
Time:              10:45 – 12:00
Details:           The 7th Annual Hammonds Plains-Lucasville Remembrance Day parade and ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m. at Cenotaph in Uplands Park, Hammonds Plains.
Location:         Cenotaph
Address:          2 Crestfield Drive in Hammonds Plains

We Remember
Time:              10:30 – 11:30
Details:           The community of Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia remembers those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Gather at the community cenotaph next to the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre November 11 starting at 10:30 a.m.       Reception to follow inside the Centre.
Location:         Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre
Address:          1583 Beaver Bank Road in Beaver Bank

Other ceremonies taking place on November 11th include:

Remembrance Day Parade at Sulllivan’s Pond
Time:              10:30AM
Details:            *note* Because of ongoing construction, the service has been relocated from the cenotaph to the Sullivan’s Pond Band Shell
Location:         Sullivan’s Pond Gazebo in Dartmouth

Remembrance Day Ceremony in Cole Harbour
Time:               10:30AM
Location:         Cole Harbour Cenotaph
Address:          51 Forest Hills Parkway

Remembrance Day Ceremony in Sackville
The Knight of Columbus says the event will go as follows:
Time:              10:30AM-12PM
Details:           All welcome to join the 4 Degree to march down to the cenotaph, gathering in the metro bus parking lot at 10:15 a.m.
Address:         Memory Lane in Lower Sackville

Remembrance Day Ceremony in Waverley
Royal Canadian Legion, Dieppe Branch 90 says the event will go as follows:
Time:               10:30AM
Details:            Procession and ceremony
Address:          2234 Rocky Lake Dr
Location:         Cenotaph at the Royal Canadian Legion, Dieppe Branch 90 

Remembrance Day Ceremony in Eastern Passage
Time:               10:30AM
Details:            Procession and ceremony
Address:          1341 Main Road
Location:          Royal Canadian Legion Branch 164 

Remembrance Day Ceremony in Spryfield
Time:               10:30AM
Details:            Procession and ceremony
Address:          7 Sussex St, 
Location:         Cenotaph at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall

What's open, what's closed

Most Nova Scotians have Saturday off under the province’s Remembrance Day Act, which means you can expect malls, grocery stores, NSLCs, and banks to all be closed.

The Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market will be closed on Remembrance Day.

All branches and departments of Halifax Public Libraries will be closed on both Saturday and Monday.

Most recreation facilities operated by HRM will be closed Saturday and Monday.

The Otter Lake Waste Management Facility will be open regular hours Saturday, the Halifax Recycling Plant and municipal composting facilities will be closed Remembrance Day, but open regular operating hours on Monday.

The Household Special Waste Depot will be closed on Saturday.

The 311 Call Centre will be operating during regular hours Saturday, the five Customer Service Centres that provide in-person access to municipal services and payments will be closed on Monday.

You may also find some businesses are closed on Monday, in lieu of Remembrance Day being on a Saturday.