In July 1976, Halifax was uniquely honoured by the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip who participated in the ground-breaking ceremony of the Halifax Metro Centre.
In the opening year, 1978, Halifax Metro Centre featured its very first concert, Gordon Lightfoot. That concert was followed by CIAU Basketball Championship. Within that first year the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks faced off in NHL Exhibition games and became the permanent home of what is now the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.