Excitement is building for fun-filled action on the Halifax harbour this weekend.
SailGP is only one day away, and the city is busy preparing.
HRM says over 1,000 athletes, team members and families are coming to town for the sailing competition.
Ten teams from across the globe will race 50-foot catamarans, which can reach up to 100 km/h, in the Rockwool Sail Grand Prix.
At a press conference Friday morning, driver for Team Canada, Phil Robertson says the team is pumped to be at home.
“Halifax…what a harbour… I think it’s been a long time coming and one of the visions of the team when they started was to have a home event, and here we are in Canada about to light it up.”
The event should also bring a lot of tourism to the area and economic benefits.
Finance Minister Alan MacMaster says he is looking forward to seeing the action that is expected to bring in a lot of tourists.
“The province is investing $1 million this year and planning on doing the same over the next two years if the event comes back. In terms of a return back to the taxpayer, it’s around $16 million U.S., that’s what it’s projected to be…that’s almost $22 million back to the Nova Scotia economy.”
How to watch
Races happen June 1st and 2nd from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days.
HRM says to be prepared for lots of traffic around downtown and a pause on ferry crossings every day from 2-6p.m. during the races.
If you plan on watching, tickets for the grandstand sold out in six minutes, but you will be able to view the action from anywhere along the waterfront.
City council has also approved a request for two helicopters to fly over the race and broadcast above the harbour.
There are also “bring your own boat” tickets. People can sail into the exclusion zone in the harbour, with a flag provided by SailGP, and watch from what they say is the best vantage point.
However, there will be no public access to the SailGP site at Kings Wharf during the competition and no drones can fly over the event space.
Party atmosphere
The downtown core will be hopping, with live concerts for the Argyle Street Shore Party.
This will include performances from Juno winners Neon Dreams, Ria Mae, Adam Baldwin, Jenny Wren and Rankin MacInnis and more.
It’s free for all ages, starting at 6:30 p.m. every evening.
-With files from Jacob Moore
