Cunard celebrates 175 years of history, tradition and industrial achievement in Halifax, Nova Scotia on July 10 when Queen Mary 2 calls on the ancestral home of its founder Sir Samuel Cunard. This commemorative transatlantic crossing is a tribute to the original voyage made by the company’s first flagship, Britannia, in 1840.

Cunard will mark the milestone anniversary with a series of commemorative events, beginning with a special outdoor ceremony on the Halifax waterfront. Local dignitaries, port officials, and key members of the Halifax community will be in attendance as a part of the new public space of the future waterfront development will be named in honor of Cunard.

The ceremony will take place on the site of an upcoming mixed-use development led by Southwest Properties and in collaboration with Waterfront Development. Nova Scotia’s popular Rhapsody Quintet will perform during the event.

Cunard has also joined forces with the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to create the first Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity. The prize will be given each year to an extraordinary individual who has demonstrated the qualities exemplified by Samuel Cunard throughout his life.

Cunard, together with its partners, will award the first Samuel Cunard Prize to James D. Irving, whose family enterprise, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. has been growing business in Canada and the United States for more than 130 years.

Queen Mary 2 will continue on her commemorative Crossing sailing down to Boston and New York, with special events scheduled for each port of call.