It wasn’t too long ago that the Halifax Oval was non existent and was just 

another baseball diamond in the North Common. Throughout the history of

the Halifax Common we have seen many activities take place with a wide 

variety of recreational and cultural pursuits: From horse and car racing to 

military encampments, native powwow’s, concerts, circuses and fairs. 

Traditionally, all of these activities 

have taken place in the May to October

time frame; however, in February 2011

Halifax hosted the Canada Winter 

Games which facilitated a unique 

opportunity for winter activities to be 

held in this public common area.

After construction was completed in December 2010, the oval was opened to the 

public for public skates and skating lessons. The oval then hosted speed skating events

in the Canadian Masters Championships, from January 15–16, 2011 and the 2011 

Canada Games, from February 11–27, 2011 for long track speed skating competitions.

The oval opened 

thanks to a huge 

response from the 

community. 

Hundreds of people

have come out 

each day, for free 

skating, with some 

estimates placing 

attendance as high 

as 2000 people in a 

single day.

Then in March 2011 the oval was slated to be 

removed. Due to the overwhelming response and 

popular demand, the oval was made into a 

permanent facility for Halifax. Construction for a 

permanent ice skating structure began and the oval

was officially reopened in December 2011.