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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
City Life

PRIDE: Kenadie, how do you shake off judgment?

Welcome to the first monthly column from Hamilton drag queen Kenadie St. James! Read on for the best bad advice you’ve ever had! Hamilton, your problems are officially about to get WORSE. 💋 Local drag legend Kenadie St. James is serving up catastrophically bad life advice in her…
Arts + Culture

Festival season: Summer on parade

Here is your hot 2026 summer festivals guide for Hamilton and Burlington. You’ll find everything from inaugural events to two local traditions that are turning 50 years old this year! Our summers may be short but fortunately for us, the list of local festivals is long. Spend warm-weather…
Arts + Culture

THE PLAYLIST

Born Ruffians – Beauty’s Pride For a band that once felt like it might combust from sheer nervous energy and mileage logged, Born Ruffians have aged in a surprisingly graceful, and still charmingly unpredictable way. Beauty’s Pride finds the long-running Toronto/Hamilton group loosening their grip on that early, jittery urgency…
Made in Hamilton

OPINION: Election 2026 is the time to build

The last municipal election saw just over 35 per cent of eligible Hamiltonians vote. We must do better this time because this city needs to deliver on its potential.  October 2026 will define Hamilton’s next chapter. We are entering a municipal election that will shape how our…
City Life

7 2SLGBTQIA+ leaders you should know

In honour of Pride in June, we asked inspiring local advocates and community leaders about their work, why marking Pride matters, what needs to change at the local level, and their greatest wish for the communities they serve. These are just seven Hamiltonians who champion 2SLGBTIA+ people locally.
Arts + Culture

Silverstein never stands still

Twenty-six years,13 albums, and a million records sold later, and the Burlington-born hardcore/punk band continues to defy the odds. Silverstein began making music during a fertile period in heavy guitar rock. The turn of the millennium saw guitar rock genres splinter into even more subgenres as bands borrowed…
Arts + Culture

PRIDE: Queer and crafting in Hamilton

QUARTZ: Queer Art Hang at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and Queer Craft Club at Hamilton Craft Studios offers an oulet for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to gather and create. If you are queer and into crafting, you have two options to let your creative flag fly and…
Food + Drink

ON THE MENU: WHAT’S OPENED AND CLOSED ON THE LOCAL RESTAURANT SCENE

Here's a list of what has come, gone and changed in Hamilton and Burlington in May. Launched & opening soon Chubby Tiger (2016 Victoria Ave., Burlington) Early reviewers have described the cuisine at Chubby Tiger as reminiscent of food court Canadian Chinese fare, with…
Arts + Culture

Cadence Weapon wants you to stop scrolling and start listening

Rollie Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, is done with treating music as background filler. In his new book Ways of Listening, the Hamilton rapper explores the transition from record bins to algorithms and reimagines how we can reclaim a deep connection with music in the age of streaming. When…
Arts + Culture

For Spoons, ‘Old Emotions’ are new again

Burlington band that had a string of hits in the 1980s, is releasing a new album and taking on a new musical sound. By Jenna Yeomans and Stephen Metelsky  Nov. 1, 2025. The bottom of the 11th inning of the World Series at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. The Jays…
Arts + Culture

incite: Delivering on a mission

Since the incite Foundation for the Arts was formed in 2011, it has donated $11 million to local arts organizations. On its 15th anniversary, the incite Foundation for the Arts is reaffirming its mission to revolutionize support for the arts in the greater Hamilton community.  incite strives to…
Food + Drink

Delicious and Indigenous

There are a growing number of notable food options in Six Nations, along with a beloved Indigenous-owned diner in Hamilton. Six Nations & Beyond  Just south of the city, not far from the edges of Hamilton, is the community of Six Nations. With a whole variety of…
Arts + Culture

Hamilton’s music scene: What is and what could be

Music writer Dylan Hudecki asked Hamilton’s music insiders for their opinions about how to keep the local music scene thriving and reinventing itself. Think of it as a suggestion box to turn up the volume on Hamilton. Hamilton’s music scene continues to thrive as one of Canada’s most…
Food + Drink

DINING DISTRICTS: A Locke on food

This interesting west Hamilton street is ever-evolving, with newcomers joining long-time eateries to make for a true foodie destination. On the whole, my visits to Locke Street have all been linked to food. It must be said that I can think of over a dozen eateries that closed…
City Life

CITY VIEW: A Hamilton storyteller

Annette Hamm is about to retire after being part of the CHCH News team since 1986. We talked to her about her career and what Hamilton means to her. ANNETTE HAMM is retiring next month after a 40-year career at CHCH. She's spent the last 21 of those…

you are HAMILTON

HAMILTON CITY Magazine’s mission is to tell the stories that celebrate the city’s past, present and future by featuring stunning photography, illustrations and world-class writing. It’s your city. It’s your magazine.


Arts + Culture

Punching In: Exhibit showcases the work of Hamilton music

In honour of the city of music’s 2026 year of music campaign, this year-long exhibit celebrates the musicians, producers, educators, and advocates whose contributions shaped the melodies of Hamilton. On display now through the end of the year in Tourism Hamilton’s Visitor Experience Centre, Punching In: The Work…
City Life

CITY VIEW: Immersed in Inspiration

JOE OLLMANN is an award-winning cartoonist whose 2021 book Fictional Father was short-listed for the Governor General's Award. He is a co-editor of Hamilton anthology Bonk'd Comics and his latest graphic novel is The Woodchipper. Joe Ollmann is a cartoonist who has lived in Hamilton most of his…
Arts + Culture

MAJOR LEAP OF FAITH: How Hamilton changed The JUNOS

It took plenty of convincing of the folks at CARAS to consider a 1995 move of the national music awards out of Toronto and about 70 km west to Copps Coliseum. One board member even called our city a ‘smog-filled, crime-ridden lunchbucket town.’ But CARAS president and Hamilton…
Arts + Culture

So, what’s it like to win a JUNO?

Music writer Jamie Tennant reached out to homegrown talent about what winning Canada’s biggest music award meant to them and their careers. SEE ALL OUR JUNOS COVERAGE HERE! Since the first JUNOS in 1970 (then known as the Golden Leaf Awards),…
Arts + Culture

48 HOURS IN HAMILTON: A music lover’s curated weekend

Whether you’re a frequent visitor or taking in Hamilton for the first time during JUNO Week, musician and music writer Dylan Hudecki offers suggestions for spending a music-focused weekend in the city. SEE ALL OUR JUNOS COVERAGE HERE! Welcome to the Hammer,…
Arts + Culture

ALANIS TO ARKELLS: Hamilton’s iconic JUNO Awards moments

Hamilton has hosted Canada's Biggest Night in Music six times and has been centre stage for some historical highlights. With six previous hosting gigs, Hamilton has played a starring role in JUNOS history. From Alanis Morissette’s record-breaking sweep to unforgettable nights with Céline Dion and The Tragically Hip,…
Arts + Culture

HAMILTON IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Memories of The JUNOS

Celebrity spotting, after parties, pop-up concerts and at least two winners who missed their moments on the stage … what Hamilton musicians and musical insiders remember about the city’s previous turns hosting The JUNOS. There have been so many musical memories born in Hamilton during the six previous…
Arts + Culture

Lots of Canada, Hamilton, even a Heated Rivalry actor, in Aquarius’ next season

The 2026-2027 lineup will feature Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Roald Dahl’s Matilda, The Musical, and three new Canadian plays, two featuring Hamilton playwrights. Four female directors. Three new Canadian plays. Two Hamilton playwrights. Two blockbuster British musicals. One national bestselling novel. One actor from smash hit…