If you were around Halifax in the 1980s or 90’s, you might remember when Halloween meant more than just dressing up and going door to door for candy, there was a “big kid” version here… one might say it was Monstrous! Every year, downtown Halifax became the place to be for the city’s Halloween Mardi Gras, a huge street party that brought out thousands of people in all kinds of costumes at all ages. It was a pretty wild sight, with the streets packed with people looking to have a good time. The event got its start in the early 1980s and carried on through much of the decade and into the 1990s, with 1995 generally cited as its final year, though it lingered in some form for a few years after. It’s one of those things that people remember quite well, while younger generations may have never even heard of it.
George’s Island
One of the things I find interesting about this event is that it found its way into a local movie, and not as a staged re-enactment. In 1988, Salter Street Films was working on George’s Island, a Halifax made adventure film directed by Paul Donovan. The story follows a young boy named George (Played by Nathaniel Moreau) who gets caught up in a spooky adventure involving pirates, buried treasure and the history of George’s Island in Halifax Harbour. A solid pirate adventure with Halloween playing a part in the story, the city’s Mardi Gras was a pretty natural fit for the film. Rather than trying to recreate the whole atmosphere with actors and extras, the filmmakers incorporated actual footage from the real event into the movie.
And thats what makes these scenes worth a second look today. You’re not just watching people dressed up for a movie. You’re seeing the actual people of Halifax out enjoying themselves, wearing costumes (some homemade) and taking part in something that was a big part of the city’s October social life at the time. The crowds, the costumes and the general atmosphere all help give the film a sense of authenticity that would have been difficult to fake. It’s also a little window into a Halifax that has changed quite a bit since those days, especially what was essentially Halloween for grown ups, especially as the evening came on! You’re looking at Argyle St. Halifax in 1988.
I always find it interesting how these things end up being preserved. When the footage was shot, it was there to help tell a story, not necessarily to document a local tradition for future generations. But like old TV, here we are, decades later, and those scenes on screen have taken on a whole other meaning. The Mardi Gras is no longer part of Halifax’s Halloween celebrations, but the little film George’s Island gives us a chance to revisit it, even if only for a few moments. It’s a good reminder that old movies and television can hold all sorts of unexpected historical treasures, sometimes right there in the background while we’re busy watching the story unfold.
Awesome! So what happened?
Of course, like a lot of big events, things eventually started getting out of hand. We’ve all been at parties like that. As the crowds grew so did the problems, especially after dark, with fights, arrests, property damage all awash with alcohol and the cost of keeping everything under control becoming a growing concern for the city. What was supposed to be a big Halloween party was becoming harder and harder to manage, and with thousands of people pouring into downtown, it was near impossible. By 1995, Halifax’s Halloween Mardi Gras had basically come to an end, with public safety concerns and the strain on police and city services playing a big part in its demise. It’s a shame in a way, because regardless of how things eventually turned out, it was a pretty unique part of Halifax’s history. And thanks to at least a little bit of footage captured back in those days, we can still get a little taste of what all the fuss was about.
It would be cool to bring it back to some degree but one of things we’ve lost in society is the level of monoculture required for massive local-focussed events like that. You see it with TV as well but that’s a whole other discussion point.
Where can I watch the movie?
Unfortunately, the film has seen a very limited release. I own a screener copy and one official release, both on VHS. The DVD releases I’ve seen appear to be from VHS rips but I could be wrong. It certainly would be fun to get a high resolution re-release for modern screens. Is that likely? Probably not.
With that said, I do have a VCR around here somewhere…
Here is the Halloween Mardi Gras scene from George’s Island:
I WANT YOUR FOOTAGE of Mardi Gras in Halifax. Whether you were a resident of Halifax who took a camcorder with you or somebody who worked in television that covered some of the festivities, I would like to digitize your footage and make it available. Please reach out to me.
