Crescendo Fest 2025

Crescendo Fest is a vibrant, Black-led music festival held annually in Halifax, Nova Scotia, dedicated to celebrating Black Music, Excellence, and Culture. Now entering Year 3, our goal is simple but ambitious: break even while keeping the festival accessible, inclusive, and impactful — and we need your support to make that happen.

Why We Need Your Help

Your donation helps us:

*Keep the concert free for the public — because Black joy and cultural celebration should be accessible to all.

*Offer free registration for our industry conference delegates.

*Pay artists fairly for their performances and contributions.

This isn’t just a festival — it’s a movement rooted in community, culture, and empowerment.

About Crescendo Fest

Crescendo Fest brings together live performances, industry panels, and community engagement to uplift African Nova Scotian and Black artists. It’s a space where identity, artistry, and history intersect — where voices that are too often unheard can take center stage.

In 2023, we launched Crescendo Fest with a one-and-a-half day conference and a large-scale public concert in Halifax’s Grand Parade, featuring local Black-owned businesses and vendors. It was a powerful moment of celebration, visibility, and connection.

In 2024, we held interactive songwriting and production sessions led by top industry professionals and introduced the Crescendo Fest Showcase, giving emerging Black artists a platform to perform for both community and industry audiences.

Why It Matters

For Black artists in Atlantic Canada, Crescendo Fest is more than just a stage — it’s a statement. A validation. A space to be fully seen and heard. The festival challenges stereotypes, reclaims narratives, and pushes for a more inclusive and equitable music industry.

Meet Our Founder:

Micah Smith is a dynamic force in both music and community leadership. A celebrated vocalist and visionary, she has worked with artists such as Reeny Smith, Joel Plaskett, Matt Andersen, and Michael Bublé, and has opened for Lisa Fischer, Buddy Guy, Daniel Caesar, Jully Black, and Anderson Paak.

Micah’s leadership extends beyond the stage:

*She serves as a board member of ADVANCE Canada’s Black Music Business Collective.

*A graduate of the Women in Music Canada Leadership Accelerator.

*JUNOfest Producer for the 2024 JUNO Awards.

*She was named Music Nova Scotia’s Emerging Industry Professional of the Year in 2023, is a two-time recipient of the Artistic Development Award, and Crescendo Fest has received Live Sector Award nominations both years. She recently earned a nomination for ECMA Innovator of the Year!

In 2023, she launched Crescendo Fest to fill a gap she saw in the industry — Micah continues to celebrate Black music and culture—bridging music and community empowerment to inspire meaningful change.

Your contribution, big or small, helps us continue to uplift voices that need to be heard. Help us keep Crescendo Fest thriving in 2025 — for the culture, for the community, and for generations to come.

Donate today. Share widely. Celebrate boldly.