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

Like everything in 2020, Natal Day will be different this year. The annual parade, road race, fireworks displays, along with other municipal celebrations have been cancelled this year.

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

BUSINESSES

Natal Day 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 locations in HRM indicate they will only be open from noon until 6 p.m.

NSLCS in the HRM will be open from noon until 6 p.m.

Some pharmacies may also 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 and departments of Halifax Public Libraries will be closed on Monday

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

TRANSPORTATION

The MacKay Bridge is scheduled to be closed from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2.

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

On Friday, Halifax Transit will continue to operate on a reduced schedule as a result of COVID-19. Masks continue to be mandatory.

As of Saturday, Aug. 1, fares will start being collected on Halifax Transit, passengers can board through the front doors and all capacity restrictions on buses, Access-a-Buses and ferries will be lifted.

On Aug. 1, there will be regular Saturday service (bus & ferry), plus 15-minute Alderney Ferry service from noon until 7:30 p.m. The final ferry departing from Alderney will be at 7:30 p.m. and the final ferry departing from Halifax will be at 7:45 p.m. There will be extra stand-by buses deployed throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

There's regular Sunday service (bus & ferry) on Aug. 2 with extra buses on standby to be deployed throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

Monday, transit will run on a holiday schedule with extra buses on standby to be deployed throughout the network to accommodate additional passenger demand.

A full list of transit service disruptions as a result of the Natal Day weekend can be found online.

RECREATION

All municipal beaches and splash pads will be open to the public on Monday, August 3. A complete list of supervised beaches, information on extended splash pad hours and up-to-date beach closures information can be found online.

The outdoor pools at the Halifax Common, Bedford (Shore Drive) and Cole Harbour are not reopening for the 2020 season.

The Emera Oval pavilion will be open on Monday, but you need to bring your own equipment as rentals are not available until further notice.

Many other municipally-operated recreation facilities will be closed on Monday.

SERVICES

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, August 1.

There will be no collection or delivery of mail by Canada Post on Monday.

The Otter Lake Waste Management Facility will be open on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., but will be closed on Monday, August 3.

The Municipal Recycling Plant will be open on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be closed on Monday, August 3.

The Household Special Waste Depot in Bayers Lake remains closed until further notice.

A number of services offered by 311 and the customer service centres remain available online, including the payment of parking tickets, zoning confirmation applications and applications for all permit and subdivision applications.

On Tuesday, the customer service centres at Alderney Gate and Bayers Road will reopen with regular hours, and the Musquodoboit Harbour Recreation Centre & Library will reopen with reduced hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Planning & Development service counters will remain closed until further notice.