List your business for Free!

View listing packages

Halifax Local Information: 10 top things to know... more

  • 1. History

    It is thought the town’s name comes from the old English words for holy and face, due to a medieval legend that the head of St John the Baptist was buried in the town after his execution. The town’s coat of arms shows the head of the saint and Halifax Minster, which dates back to the 12th century, is dedicated to him. The town’s public market is situated in a building ca...Read morelled The Piece Hall, which was originally opened in 1779 as a place in which to trade woollen cloth pieces. Read less

  • 2. Now

    Halifax is the largest town in the metropolitan district of Calderdale, and is in the county of West Yorkshire. It combines a mix fantastic architecture and history with modern attractions and beautiful surrounding countryside. The town has a vibrant South Asian community mainly of Pakistani Muslims from the Azad Kashmir region. This community is mostly based around the west c...Read moreentral area of Halifax. Read less

  • 3. Events

    The Halifax Festival runs for nine days in July and celebrates the arts through a varied programme of events aimed at people of all ages. It provides a platform for local artists but also aims to encourage more people to get involved in the arts. The Halifax Agricultural Show is a very established and well-respected show in the region. It takes place over one day in August at ...Read moreSavile Park Moor and offers a great day out with some of the best cattle in the country. The Halifax Food and Drink Festival runs for three days in September and includes demonstrations from some of the country’s top chefs, cookery sessions for children, tasting sessions and more. Read less

  • 4. Attractions

    Eureka! is an award-winning museum for children and contains hundreds of hands-on exhibits to help young people learn about the world around them. The museum is split into six main galleries and also has an outdoor play area, wonder walk, beach and much more. Bankfield Museum is based in a Victorian mansion and contains collections from prehistoric times to the 21st century as...Read more well as important costume and textile collections. The museum sits in attractive parkland. Shibden Hall is a medieval timber-framed house built in 1420 and has been furnished and decorated to give a taste of life during different periods. The house is within the gardens and estate of Shibden Park, including a café, miniature railway, boating lake, pitch and putt course, trails, play area, orienteering course and woodland. Halifax Minster is 900 years old and is open to visitors daily. Guided tours are also available. Read less

  • 5. Things To Do

    The Piece Hall contains a series of galleries, which are used for a variety of temporary exhibitions over the year, including art, craft, photography and design. Halifax swimming pool includes a main swimming pool, a teaching pool, a sauna, squash courts and a fitness suite. There are many canals to enjoy in the Calderdale district, and visitors can walk along the towpaths or...Read more enjoy a variety of cruises and boat trips. The area is a popular with walkers and popular routes include the Pennine Way and the Calderdale Way. Read less

  • 6. Business

    The market in The Piece Hall offers a diverse range of independent and unusual retailers including a craft-chocolatier, hand-made glass jewellery, bookshops and holistic therapy. Halifax Borough Market, in a Grade II listed Victorian building, is open from Monday to Saturday and has 179 stalls and 47 external shops. Westgate Arcade is an indoor shopping centre containing over...Read more 30 stores as well as places to eat and drink. Dean Clough is a business centre based in what was once the world’s largest carpet factory. The site includes office space, conference facilities, a day nursery, restaurant, galleries, fitness facilities, a cookery school and much more. Read less

  • 7. Transport

    Train services are good in the region, with Northern Rail offering regular trains to all the main towns in Calderdale. Grand Central also runs trains in the region and a service from London King’s Cross to Halifax takes just three hours. The M62 is just to south of the town and can be reached from junctions 21-26. The A629 is the main road running to the north and south and ...Read morethe A58 to the east and west. Leeds is 16 miles away and Manchester is 35 miles away. The nearest airport is Leeds Bradford International, which is 13 miles away. Manchester Airport is just 30 miles away. Read less

  • 8. Entertainment

    The Victoria Theatre is in the heart of the town centre and offers a packed and varied programme of live events including rock and pop concerts, ballet, comedy, family shows, drama and pantomime. The Piece Hall has a packed programme of events throughout the year including concerts and exhibitions. Square Chapel is an arts centre in a former red brick Georgian chapel. The ven...Read moreue offers live music, theatre, dance, comedy, family shows, musicals, lectures, workshops, art classes, youth theatre, open mic nights and more. Entertainment at the Dean Clough centre includes the Crossley Gallery, which is one of the top jazz venues in the region, and the Viaduct Theatre, which is used for chamber music concerts, operatic performances, alternative rock gigs and more. Halifax Playhouse is home to the Halifax Thespians and offers a selection of productions throughout the year. Read less

  • 9. Famous Landmarks

    The Town Hall dates back to 1863 and was built by Charles Barry, famous for building the Houses of Parliament. Visitors can climb a spiral staircase in the building’s Wainhouse tower to enjoy views from the observational platform. The Piece Hall is a Grade I listed building, which dates back to 1779. It was originally used for trading cloth and was an ambitious building of i...Read morets time. It is now thought of as one of the country’s most impressive Georgian buildings. Read less

  • 10. Interesting Fact

    Halifax is known for the gruesome Halifax Gibbet, which was an early version of the guillotine. The town was one of the first places to execute criminals by decapitation, using this device. It was last used in 1650 and a replica now sits in the town’s Gibbet Street.

Close Window
Thumb

Special Offers

Top Business Reviews

Halifax Events

Cityvisitor is a great place to advertise events.

Do you know of an event in your area that you would like to share with others? Are you involved in an event taking place in your area? Post your local events for FREE here!

Click here to add an event

Halifax Marketplace

Halifax Blog

  • Young chefs show off their skills

    Young chefs showed off their culinary skills in a Masterchef-style competition. The competition, organised by Halifax Rotary Club, invited pupils from schools in the Calderdale area to put on their aprons and cook a main course and dessert...

    Continue reading →

  • Calderdale beast is spotted

    A Halifax resident is the latest person who believes they have come face to face with the Calderdale catbeast. Susan Rooke, 58, of Exley, Halifax, said she saw the black creature in her back garden. She said the animal, which...

    Continue reading →

  • Brave mum raises thousands for charity

    Thousands of pounds have been raised for charity thanks to the efforts of a brave mum who is battling a brain tumour. Gaynor Stowe, from Newlands, Sowerby, has raised £3,150 for Andrea’s Gift, a Yorkshire brain tumour charity, and...

    Continue reading →

  • Week of events helps road safety

    Organisations joined forces to provide a week of fun activities and events aimed at keeping people safe on the roads. The road safety week took place in Calderdale at the end of November thanks to Calderdale Council, the emergency services, the NHS,...

    Continue reading →

  • See more blogs