What’s open and what’s closed Natal Day weekend

Here's a look at what will be open and closed on the Natal Day weekend:

BUSINESSES

This is not a designated retail closing day in Nova Scotia, which means you can expect many stores to be open, however some may have reduced hours of operation.

Many Sobeys and Atlantic Superstores in HRM will be only be open from noon until 6 p.m.

NSLCS will be open, however some stores in the Halifax Regional Municipality will operate on shortened hours. They recommend calling ahead.

Some pharmacies also may have reduced hours.

Area malls are open, however Mic Mac Mall, the Halifax Shopping Centre, Dartmouth Crossing and Sunnyside Mall all indicate they will only be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Monday.

Some banks may be closed on both Sunday and Monday.

All branches of Halifax Public Libraries will be closed.

Other businesses may be closed or have reduced operating hours on Monday, it's best to call ahead.

TRANSPORTATION

Halifax Harbour Bridges says one lane to Dartmouth on the MacKay Bridge will be closed Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to repair waterproofing and ashphalt. This work is weather dependent.

On Sunday, the Macdonald Bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m for a couple of events.

The Macdonald will also be closed on Monday from 8:30 a.m.to 2 p.m. for the Natal Day parade 

Halifax Transit will run their regular Saturday schedule, with the addition of 15-minute Alderney Ferry service between 12:15 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. Ferry service will be free with a donation to Feed Nova Scotia. Extra buses will be added throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

On Sunday, there will be regular bus service plus 15-minute Alderney Ferry service between 11:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. Extra buses will be added throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

Halifax Transit will run on a holiday schedule Monday, with the addition of 15-minute Alderney Ferry service between 7:15 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. and  30-minute Woodside Ferry service between 6:37 a.m. and 8:52 p.m. Extra buses will be added throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

More detailed transit information can be found online.

On-street parking will be free at meters on Natal Day.

SERVICES

There will be no mail delivery Monday.

Municipal beaches and the outdoor pools at the Halifax Common, Bedford (Shore Drive), and Cole Harbour are open Monday.

The Emera Oval is open on Natal Day.

Many other municipal recreation facilities will be closed on Natal Day. Residents are asked to call ahead.

There will be no solid waste collection on Monday. If that's your day, you're asked to put your garbage, organics or recyclables on Saturday Aug. 4.

The Household Special Waste Depot in Bayers Lake will be closed on Saturday

The Otter Lake Waste Management Facility, the Halifax recycling facility, and municipal composting facilities will be closed on Monday, but will be open for regular operating hours on Saturday and Tuesday.

The 311 Contact Centre will be operating on regular hours Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The five Customer Service Centres that provide in-person access to municipal services and payments will be closed Natal Day.