The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (Canada)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day , occurring on the second Monday in October , is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season....

, in Halifax

Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...

 Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

History

Founded in 1993, the Halifax Pop Explosion has actually been three different events that are now remembered as one long standing event. The original Halifax Pop Explosion, which was operated as private business from 1993–1995, was created as a platform to celebrate Halifax's new found fame as the "Seattle of the North" and home of Canadian grunge

Grunge

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

, as well as to promote local bands such as Sloan

Sloan (band)

Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...

, Jale

Jale

Jale was an indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Contemporaries of Sloan and The Super Friendz, they were formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1996...

, The Super Friendz

The Super Friendz

The Super Friendz are a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, active between 1994 and 1997, reforming in 2003. Contemporaries of Sloan, their early work was on Sloan's Murderecords label.-Origins:...

 and Thrush Hermit

Thrush Hermit

-History:Thrush Hermit was formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1992 by Joel Plaskett , Rob Benvie , Ian McGettigan , and Michael Catano...

. "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted as the overall name of the Halifax music scene as a whole.

The company that organized the festival went out of business and a new organization launched the "Halifax On Music Festival", which ran successfully but not profitably for four years. The festival did not take place in 2000.

In 2001 a past owner of the Halifax On Music Festival and one of the staff created the not-for-profit Halifax Pop Explosion Association to operate the festival for the good of the music community, abandoning any pretense that the event had long term profitability. The festival name returned to the Halifax Pop Explosion and it has doubled in size since 2001. The Festival has expanded its programming to support other genres within the independent music community as well as the power pop

Power pop

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...

 that it is best known for. It now features acts from hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 and electronica

Electronica

Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 to folk rock

Folk rock

Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...

 and alt-country to punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and hardcore

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 and everything in between. With shows all around town over five days the festival exhibits considerable breadth in presenting new music.

Related events

In addition to the music, the Halifax Pop Explosion also continues to support a variety of independent arts and pop-culture events. The Indie Zine and Label Fair, which had been growing since 1996, was replaced in 2006 by three events: the Music Matters Conference, a diy and independent music focused conference; Canzine East, the Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...

 edition of the zine fair and independent publishing event curated by Broken Pencil

Broken Pencil

Broken Pencil is a Canadian magazine, which profiles zine culture and independent arts and music. The magazine publishes four times annually and is based in Toronto.The magazine was founded in 1995 by Hal Niedzviecki...

Magazine; and a series of art gallery exhibitions stage around town.