Akuko Ifo: Mama's Halloween (Free Igbo Storytelling Night)

Akuko Ifo: Mama's Halloween comes to the Potter Auditorium in the Rowe Management Building on Sunday, July 26, a free family night of Igbo storytelling, masquerade, music and food. It's the opening of the Ndi Igbo Cultural Association of Nova Scotia's (NICANS) 2026 IRI-JI Festival Season, so it's the first event of their summer calendar.

The evening is built around Akuko Ifo, the Igbo tradition of storytelling. The tales are shared by elders and the AMARA youth ensemble, with the stories passing from one generation to the next right there on stage. It's not just the stories, either: masquerade, music and food are part of the night, so it's a full evening rather than just a reading. The whole thing is free and open to families, so you can bring the kids along.

The venue is the Potter Auditorium in the Rowe Management Building, at 6100 University Avenue in Halifax's South End. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the storytelling starts at 6 p.m., so you've got an hour to get settled before things get underway. The night runs until 9 p.m., and since it's free, it's an easy one to drop into without much planning.