Natal Day – Nova Scotia’s Festive Birthday Celebration

Every year on the first Monday of August, communities across Nova Scotia come together to celebrate Natal Day, a spirited holiday marking the “birth” of the province. The word “Natal” means “birth,” and this holiday originally began in 1895, when the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth organized a joint celebration—initially to mark the arrival of a railway extension. Although the railway wasn’t completed in time, the community celebration went ahead, laying the foundation for what would become a proud annual tradition.