Tucked just below a busy stretch of Halifax’s Spring Garden Road is a bar that has seen nearly eight decades of history unfold and has the stories (and the bar stools) to prove it.
Oasis, founded in 1949 as the Lord Nelson Tavern, is more than just a sports bar. It’s a living memory, a downtown fixture and, in the words of current manager Brian Atkinson, “a place where you can just pull up a chair, be yourself and watch your game.”
Atkinson, who has been managing Oasis for the past 18 months, has a much longer history with the place. He first stepped inside its doors in the mid-1980s while attending Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He returned years later to paint the bar’s iconic murals, including a Sgt. Pepper-inspired pop culture tribute.
“I became known as the guy who painted the murals. Then one day they needed a manager, and they knocked on my door.”
Oasis boasts “the largest floor area for any bar of this type east of Montreal, north of Boston,” Atkinson states, with a capacity of 406.
The space is split into two sections: the main bar area and the “sidebar”, where a projector and a second screen make game nights feel like a movie-theatre experience.
Baseball is “Jays territory all the way,” says Atkinson. Hockey nights – especially when the Maple Leafs, Canadiens or Bruins play – draw passionate crowds. “The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off? That was insanity down here.” He says that NFL Sundays bring a more communal vibe. And on Saturday nights when the UFC is on, “We barely even have to advertise anymore. The fan base just shows up.”
The bar has a little bit of everything: 16 TVs (each on its own feed, so no mirrored streams), 19 video lottery terminals in a separate gaming area, and four pool tables.
Though it’s now a sports hub, the space has had several identities, from a rock ‘n’ roll joint to an Irish music bar to a casino lounge. In 1963 Oasis opened a ladies beverage room, which it claims was the first one in Canada to allow in women without an escort.
“There was actually a wall with a door separating the bar. The sidebar was where the ladies could come in. Men had to be invited. That was a big deal at the time,” says Atkinson.
Some of the staff are practically part of the furniture. Norm Leaman and Louis Gallant, the two regular bartenders, have been working there for nearly 100 years of service combined.
“Norm came here straight out of high school and never left. Louis, almost as long. It’s wild, but it also tells you something about the place.”
Despite its size and history, Oasis keeps things simple. The décor is part nostalgic pub, part personal art project and now thanks to a new sports-themed entrance – part shrine to local athletic pride.
“We’ve mounted physical sports gear on the walls, and added team logos and a few nods to our Atlantic roots. I didn’t design the pieces, but I placed everything. The flow matters,” says Atkinson.
He says the vibe is meant to be low-key and welcoming. “There are no airs here. Just come as you are and we’ll find the game you want. If it’s being broadcast, we’ll throw it on.”
Being located near five major universities, Oasis can draw a younger crowd. When students from Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s aren’t filling the bar during events, the old regulars are happy to be perched on their stools.
From its role in Halifax nightlife history to the rowdy energy of UFC Saturdays, Oasis is a place where change has been constant, but comfort is part of its fabric.
“That’s what makes it special,” Atkinson says. “It has always been what people needed it to be.”
