The tradition may have been created by the Nova Scotia Philanthropic Society who inaugurated an annual picnic in 1839 to celebrate the founding of Halifax.

[5] In 1876 reports from McNab's Island picnic reported "there was not much enjoyment there... for drunkenness and fighting prevailed generally, and there were many bruised faces and black eyes" and a new word 'jubilated' was coined to refer to the drunk and disorderly - with those completely unable to celebrate due to drunkenness being referred to as jubilous.

[5][6] The first official Natal Day celebrations were held in August 1895 to mark the arrival of the new branch railroad line connecting to Dartmouth.

[8] The name Natal Day gained popularity in 1899 with the publication of Centenary Ode, by Halifax poet laureate John A.

So, till a thousand years have rolled, May every circling hour increase The strength of ties that ne'er grow old, The love of liberty and peace.

[19] While city officials, including mayor Mike Savage, initially disagreed, the statue was subsequently removed and place in temporary storage in January 2018 in consultation with local First Nations after threats were made to tear the statue down during an upcoming planned protest.