Major concerts and events are slowly returning to the Maritimes
The Halifax Wanderers soccer team is anxious to welcome back fans at its stadium in Halifax.
"We would love to host a game on Natal Day," says President Derek Martin. “It would be a symbolic day for us to do it."
Martin says after a tough year of living with COVID-19 restrictions, he is finally sensing a return to normalcy.
"If you read the tea leaves, there's a lot of positivity happening right now,” he says.
Sonic Concerts recently announced its summer series starting July 26.
Moncton’s Avenir Centre is scheduled to host James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt in September.
Downtown Halifax is already back in full-on event-planning mode.
"As we move through Phase 4 and Phase 5, we will continue to host smaller gatherings inside," says Events East President and CEO Carrie Cussons.
Cussons says the Halifax Convention Centre is preparing to host smaller concerts and business gatherings.
The ice will also soon be back in at Scotiabank Centre later this summer
"We are really excited about having the Mooseheads back at full capacity," says Cussons.
Starting with pre-season action in August, the Halifax Mooseheads hockey team will play home games.
But larger-scale events and conventions are still on hold.
"By 2022 we expect to see national and international events start to return to the convention centre,” says Cussons.
Si-Fi convention Hal-Con, postponed in 2020, will return in October with smaller numbers.
"We are hopeful to have up to 2,500 a day, which is what it's looking like right now," says Hal-Con Marketing Director Floyd Blaikie.
Cussons says all events must adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols.
"We are working to figure out what are the best things we can keep while allowing fans to come back and enjoy that in-person experience," says Cussons.
As Martin waits to host bigger crowds, he says he wants the Wanderers to hold pop-up vaccination clinics.
"We obviously benefit, the sooner we get to phase 5 and all the restrictions can be lifted," says Martin.
When that finally happens, Martin says many events would once again be open for thousands of fans to attend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.