The Carleton

What The Carleton does

The Carleton is a privately held restaurant and live music venue operating from a single location at 1685 Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The venue combines a full-service dining operation—offering dinner, brunch, and drinks menus featuring locally-sourced cuisine and regional craft beer—with regularly scheduled ticketed live performances spanning folk, blues, jazz, Americana, and roots music. The 19-employee business serves a mix of local diners, live music audiences, private event bookers, and visiting patrons from across Atlantic Canada, and has earned industry recognition including a 2018 East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Winner award and a 2015 Coast Winner designation.

Revenue is generated across five interlocking streams: food and beverage sales (burgers priced at $16–$18, sides at $7, Garrison beer on tap at $7–$7.25), ticketed concert admissions ranging from $10 for emerging local artists to $50+ for established touring acts, premium special events such as the Craft Draught Showdown brewery-pairing dinners at $100+ per person, private function bookings, and gift card sales in $25/$50/$100 denominations. Ticket pricing tiers vary materially by artist profile, and most shows carry HST. Go-to-market is event-driven: programming is the primary acquisition channel, with marketing concentrated on the venue website, a weekly Tuesday email newsletter, and organic social media across Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram. The venue maintains a notable community footprint through partnerships with Marine Drive Talent Management, Feed Nova Scotia, the AfterWords Literary Festival, and multiple Nova Scotia craft breweries, and operates the annual Halifax Urban Folk Festival (HUFF) as an anchor cultural asset. No external funding, parent company, or multi-unit expansion has been disclosed.

Name

The Carleton

Legal name

The Carleton

Website

https://thecarleton.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Carleton is a privately held restaurant and live music venue in Halifax, Nova Scotia, combining full-service dining with ticketed concerts featuring folk, blues, and touring artists across Atlantic Canada. It generates revenue from food and beverage sales, concert tickets, and premium culinary events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue and Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH), Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Restaurant dining
• Ticketed concerts
• Private event hosting
• Folk music festival

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: The restaurant generates revenue from food menu items including dinner, brunch, and sweets/snacks, as well as alcoholic beverages. Average burger prices around $16-18, sides $7, and craft beers around $7-8.
2. Live Music Ticket Sales: Ticketed concert revenue from general admission shows featuring local and touring artists. Ticket prices range from $10 for local acts to $50+ for established performers like Harry Manx and Ben Caplan. Most shows include HST.
3. Special Event Packages: Premium events like Craft Draught Showdown featuring multi-course dinners paired with craft brewery tastings, priced at $100+ per person including tip and HST.
4. Private Functions: Revenue from hosting private dining events and functions for groups.
5. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards in denominations of $25, $50, and $100.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Carleton operates a combined full-service restaurant and live music venue in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It sells dinner, brunch, sweets/snacks, and a drinks menu (including local craft beer) alongside a calendar of ticketed live music performances featuring local, national, and international folk, blues, jazz, Americana, and roots artists. Additional offerings include private function hosting, gift cards, specialty event series (Craft Draught Showdown brewery pairings, Shaggy Dog Story Night, Burger Bash, Razzmatazz for Kids), and the annual Halifax Urban Folk Festival (HUFF).

Product overview

The Carleton is a Halifax-based restaurant and live music venue offering a dual offering of dining services and entertainment. The core products include full-service dining (dinner, brunch, and drinks menus) and live music performances featuring local, national, and international artists. Additional offerings include private function hosting, gift cards, the annual Halifax Urban Folk Festival (HUFF), specialty events like Craft Draught Showdown beer-pairing dinners, storytelling nights (Shaggy Dog Story Night), and family programming (Razzmatazz for Kids). The venue operates primarily as a listening-room style concert space with seated dining.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dining Services
• Live Music Performances
• Private Functions
• Gift Cards
• Halifax Urban Folk Festival (HUFF)
• Craft Draught Showdown
• Shaggy Dog Story Night Storytelling event series featuring community members sharing personal true stories on stage, with all proceeds benefiting the AfterWords Literary Festival. Tickets priced at $12.50 plus HST.
• Razzmatazz for Kids Family-friendly children's music performance featuring interactive songs, comedy, and activities with award-winning duo Razzmatazz for Kids.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple shows regularly sell out including Ben Caplan, David Francey, Roxy & T.U.S.S. Amy Winehouse tribute, and Maximum Overdrive return engagements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marine Drive Talent ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Association with Marine Drive Talent Management for the annual Halifax Urban Folk Festival Youth Songwriters' Showcase, featuring the best of the region's teenaged talent.
• Feed Nova ScotiaminorOthersDuring Burger Bash events, $1 from every burger sold and every side sold is donated to Feed Nova Scotia to support food security initiatives.
• AfterWords Literary FestivalminorOthersAll proceeds from Shaggy Dog Story Night events go to the AfterWords Literary Festival, supporting Halifax's literary community.
• Darty BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompeting brewery partner in Craft Draught Showdown: Darty VS Propeller event. Enjoyed a five-course dinner paired with Darty and Propeller brews, with attendees voting for the winning brewery.
• Propeller BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompeting brewery partner in Craft Draught Showdown: Darty VS Propeller event. Five-course dinner paired with Propeller and Darty brews, with attendees voting for the winning brewery.
• Annapolis BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompeting brewery partner in Craft Draught Showdown: Annapolis VS Tanner & Co. event featuring five-course dinner with paired tastings.
• Tanner & Co. BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompeting brewery partner in Craft Draught Showdown: Annapolis VS Tanner & Co. event featuring five-course dinner with paired tastings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Moxies Grill & Bar: Established Canadian casual-dining restaurant and bar chain that, while not a concert venue, competes with The Carleton on the Halifax dining and bar-outing segment with broader menu and bar offerings.
• St. Louis Bar & Grill: National Canadian casual dining chain that operates bar-and-grill venues with sports-and-music programming; broader scale and chain model contrast with The Carleton's curated independent positioning.

Direct peers

• The Dakota Tavern: Toronto-based intimate live music venue focused on blues, roots, folk, and Americana with full bar service and food offerings, mirroring The Carleton's curated listening-room positioning and pricing tier.
• Cameron House: Toronto intimate live music venue and pub hosting singer-songwriter, folk, and indie performers in a small-capacity setting comparable to The Carleton's listening-room scale and curation style.
• The Rivoli: Toronto restaurant and live music venue offering dinner service alongside nightly performances across indie, folk, and experimental genres — a close functional match to The Carleton's dual dining-and-concert model.
• The Horseshoe Tavern: Iconic Toronto live music venue presenting touring and local artists across folk, blues, country, and rock genres with attached bar service — a scaled-up Canadian analog of The Carleton's intimate listening-room model.
• Lee's Palace: Toronto live music and event venue operating as a comparable mid-sized concert hall with bar service, frequently routing Canadian touring acts through its programming.
• The Marquee Ballroom: Halifax-based live music venue operating as a comparable concert and event space in the same Atlantic Canadian market, competing for the same touring and local artists and overlapping audiences.

Regional players

• The Company House: Halifax bar and live music venue operating in the same local market with comparable food, drink, and live performance programming — direct Halifax-area competition.
• The Mansion (Kingston): Kingston-based restaurant and live music venue combining full-service dining with multi-genre concert programming in a smaller Canadian market — comparable format outside the Atlantic region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carletonhalifax
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCarletonHalifax
• Instagraminstagram.com/carletonhalifax
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thecarleton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Carleton