Nova Scotia’s beloved high school drama festival weekend – DramaFest – has been held annually in Halifax for more than 50 years,
making it one of our province’s longest running arts festivals.

DramaFest is a much-anticipated gathering dedicated to encouraging, educating, and celebrating drama students from across the province. The Festival welcomes over 250-300 students each year, from the South Shore to Pictou to Cape Breton.
Through professionally-led masterclasses, workshops, and presentations, DramaFest offers students the opportunity to learn from leading Nova Scotian theatre artists, while gathering with their friends from all across the province. We also provide a platform for students to showcase their own productions on Dalhousie University’s stages.

DramaFest promotes inclusivity and accessibility, strengthens self-confidence and communication skills, and exposes students to exciting creative practices and ideas. At our core, we offer students a chance to grow, feel seen, and celebrate each other’s work.

DramaFest has inspired and transformed tens of thousands of lives.

Nova Scotian artists and audiences all across our province have ties to DramaFest, whether as an attending student over the past 50 years, a teaching artist leading a workshop or a show, a Drama teacher taking their students, or a parent seeing the firsthand effect of DramaFest for their child. DramaFest is a vast, intergenerational root system that connects and strengthens our province.