OPINION: Turning up the volume on Hamilton

Music and culture are powering this city’s economic beat and creating a city soundtrack all its own.

As we officially enter our Year of Music, I have a secret to let you in on …

Hamilton isn’t becoming a music city. It already is one.

And the return of the JUNO Awards in 2026 reflects confidence in our city’s creative energy, our venues, and our ability to host at a national scale. 

The JUNOs have a long history here. This city helped transform the awards into a touring, arena-level event and their return is both a nod to our shared legacy as well as a vote of confidence in Hamilton’s future.

But the real story isn’t just one weekend in March. It’s the ecosystem that makes moments like this possible.

Over the past few years, Hamilton’s music scene has been quietly building momentum. From rock and indie to hip-hop, jazz, folk, and experimental genres, Hamilton artists are creating original work that draws crowds and fuels small venues night after night.

Those venues matter more than we sometimes realize.

Small and mid-sized performance spaces are economic engines hiding in plain sight. They support musicians, sound techs, bar staff, security, marketers, promoters, and nearby restaurants. Every headline act started somewhere – often in rooms just like the ones that anchor Hamilton’s neighbourhoods today.

And when those rooms are full, the economic impact ripples outward.

A show doesn’t just sell tickets. It fills patios, drives late-night dining, supports rideshare and transit use, and encourages people to make an evening – or a weekend – out of it. Multiply that across dozens of venues and hundreds of shows each year, and music becomes a meaningful contributor to local GDP, tourism, and employment.

You can hear it on any given night – in packed rooms along James Street North, in festival crowds spilling into the streets, and in the steady hum of people choosing to stay out a little longer. What’s different right now is that the rest of the country is catching on.

That momentum is accelerating as the reopening of the TD Coliseum marks a new chapter for Hamilton.

Reimagined as a music-first venue with world-class acoustics and artist facilities, the Coliseum immediately places Hamilton on the global touring map. It’s already attracting major acts that might otherwise bypass our city – and each of those shows brings thousands of visitors downtown.

Crucially, this doesn’t compete with smaller venues. It complements them.

Big shows raise the city’s profile, introduce new audiences to Hamilton, and create opportunities to cross-pollinate experiences. A visitor who comes for a major concert is far more likely to discover a local artist, stumble into a smaller venue, or extend their stay when the city feels alive beyond the main event. That’s how cultural tourism grows – not through single attractions, but through density and diversity.

Hamilton is uniquely positioned to offer that mix.

Our city already knows how to activate itself at scale. Events like Supercrawl and the Arkells Rally(s) have shown what’s possible when artists, businesses, and the community move together: streets filled with people, local talent front and centre, and an unmistakable sense of pride. That same energy exists year-round, waiting to be amplified.

From a Chamber of Commerce perspective, this is exactly the kind of growth cities like ours should lean into.

Music and culture aren’t just “nice to have.” They are proven economic drivers. They help attract talent, retain young professionals, support entrepreneurship, and differentiate Hamilton in an increasingly competitive tourism and investment landscape. 

They also play a vital role in downtown vitality and perceptions of safety. A lively street, animated by culture and people, is a welcoming street.

That’s why the next opportunity isn’t just about hosting great events; it’s about nurturing a safe, vibrant nighttime economy that allows creativity to flourish.

A successful nighttime economy supports artists and venues while ensuring residents, workers, and visitors feel comfortable moving through the city after dark. It depends on collaboration: transit that works later, thoughtful placemaking, consistent programming, and a shared commitment to safety and hospitality. When those pieces align, culture doesn’t shut down at 10 p.m. – it becomes part of how a city lives.

Hamilton is already doing much of this right. The task now is to be intentional, coordinated, and ambitious.

With the JUNOs returning, a revitalized TD Coliseum drawing global attention, and local artists continuing to create and perform at a remarkable pace, Hamilton’s music moment is real – and it’s delivering economic value today.

The opportunity ahead is to make sure the volume stays turned up – not just for one year, but for the long run.