BAND SUBMISSIONS for the 2013 festival open now!
What is HPX?
“Finding out you were selected to play HPX is like wining a prize. It is a gift to the band every time we get to play.” - Brian Borcherdt, Holy Fuck
The Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX) is an International music, culture and media festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. HPX takes place over five days in October- in bars, small theatres and some larger multi-use venues (arenas, banquet halls) and is composed of 50+ shows staged in venues as small as 90 seats and as large as 3500 capacity. The festival is not a corporate owned event. While we have sponsorship, we are a not-for-profit in a smallish city just to the east of nowhere. We do this festival for the love of the music and to bring bands to town that would normally never make the trip out here.
HPX International
HPX is an international festival that draws bands, media attention and industry delegates from around the world in a smaller setting than other similar events which means your band has a better shot at a review, new working relationships and building buzz.
Why Play HPX?
“We had a great experience playing Halifax Pop Explosion. I think it’s a great chance for many bands to play an amazing first show in an interesting city like Halifax. It’s the kind of festival that’s big enough for bands to have crowded shows, but small enough for you to feel that the people organizing it are doing it only out of love of music and live shows.” -Yonatan Gat, Monotonix
The festival is an artist and fan focused festival. Every show is programmed by festival organizers with the performers and fans in mind, with the goal of filling an appropriate sized room with happy fans listening to good bands through a good PA. There are no shows thrown together to up our numbers and be able to brag about how “700 bands play ever year”, rather, each band is selected for the fit with a show and the festival. All artists, big and small, can expect to have one of their most enjoyable times ever. Bands who play HPX usually book a couple days off to hang out and enjoy the festival.
How do you decide who plays HPX?
“There is no other festival in Atlantic Canada with the profile of the Pop Explosion. I know I can rely on HPX to treat my artists well. The artists always want to go back and play again.” – Steven Himmelfarb, Agent, The Billions Corporation
Every application is listened to by our Showcase Committee. Our belief is every band should have a fair chance. That being said, we get a tonne of applications and we have limited space, so hard choices are made. Headliners, their management, or their agents, should approach our Talent Director as early as possible. Halifax is pretty out of the way, and most “national” tours of Canada never get here for medium and large size acts. HPX is a great opportunity to get your artist into a market of 2 million people you might normally never play. Email talent (at) halifaxpopexplosion (dot) com.
Key Deadlines for Agents, Managers and Artists
Submissions open Monday December 3rd, 2012
Early Bird price ends February 18th, 2013
Submission deadline Monday May 6th, 2013
Dates of Future Festivals
- Oct 22-26, 2013
