Some Americans staying away from Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo amid political tensions

Some U.S. acts are staying away from the Nova Scotia International Tattoo amid current political tensions.

The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a global gathering of civilian and military performers, but there seems to be one notable absence: performers from the United States.

Scott Long, executive producer of the show, says it’s a coincidence as performers are booked in advance and not every country can be represented every year.

However, some people south of border are intentionally staying away.

“Unfortunately, the political climate isn’t great these days. We did get a lot of emails from Americans who wanted to come up to see the show, but felt like they might not be welcome, and in fact were embarrassed by that,” Long says.

He also confirmed some Canadians expressed frustrations over the potential inclusion of American performers.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is on a tour of the Maritimes, is hoping to smooth over those tensions.

“I’ll tell them what a great place this is and please come visit Halifax, too. Come visit Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and it’s a two-way street. Buy things here and we hope Canadians will come to Maine and buy things there,” Mills says.

A recent Statistics Canada report shows a nearly nine per cent year-over-year drop in U.S. visitors in April. It’s the third consecutive month of declining numbers.

At the same time, the number of Canadians returning from U.S. trips tumbled by almost 30 per cent.

“We’ve always wanted to visit the Maritimes,” says James Hueston, who notes political tensions were enough for him and his wife to avoid the travel to the U.S. altogether. “We’ve been to the States a few times in past years, but we scratched it off our list this year and decided to focus elsewhere.”

Long says the Tattoo is built around the bonds of friendship of allied nations and that will continue regardless of where the performers are from.

All the acts for 2026 are not yet booked but Long says, if American performers are on the program, he’s sure they will get a friendly welcome.

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