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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

Readers and writers: Your guide to gritLIT 2026

The literary festival offers five days of readings, panels, workshops, and social events that celebrate writers of all kinds and the readers who read them. For 22 years, the Hamilton-born gritLIT has celebrated established writers, helped new ones develop, and given readers a front-row seat to well over…
Arts + Culture

World premiere shines a light on Canada, The Hip, and what home really means

It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, opening April 22 at Theatre Aquarius, is about connection, love, and saying something that needs to be said. That spirit, and the spirit of Gord Downie, are in the rehearsal room as this show comes to life, say its stars.
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Calendar Girls is balm for weary souls

Story of group of English women posing nude to raise money for their church is a nuanced exploration of aging, expectation, disappointment, and refusing to accept limitations. Binbrook Little Theatre’s production features brave performances and a solid focus on the story. Uplifting stories seem hard to find these…
Arts + Culture

New music venues: This booker is back

Brodie Schwendiman, operator of the late and beloved Casbah, is back booking music in a new downtown venue called Ridiculous, and other live-music locations in the region. 2025 was a rollercoaster ride of a year for Brodie Schwendiman. The music club operator and booker has played a crucial…
Food + Drink

Chef Matty Matheson: By the books

The celebrity chef has now made his mark in Hamilton, with elevated pub Iron Cow Public House at TD Coliseum. So what can we glean about him from the recipes and stories in his three cookbooks?  For months, his name was on the lips of Hamilton food…
Arts + Culture

THE PLAYLIST

Dylan Hudecki is a Canadian indie-rock vet having played in many different bands, including By Divine Right, Cowlick, Slow Beach and The Dill. He’s a proud Hamiltonian who covers local album releases for HAMILTON CITY Magazine. TV FREAKS  – Blue Genie (garage, punk rock) Devotion, distortion, and the…
Food + Drink

Getting out: Music & menus

If live tunes help your food taste better, here’s a list of places where the grub is as good as the setlist! With this issue being HAMILTON CITY Magazine’s music issue, it seemed fitting to round-up a bundle of local restaurants where you can see and enjoy some…
City Life

Hounds of Hamilton

We need a big dose of dogs these days so HAMILTON CITY Magazine's new feature celebrates the city's canines. Send in your dogs (and cats)! Escape the relentless news cycle, doom scrolling and polarizing politics, and find joy and laughter in pets. Hounds of Hamilton…

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

New film board is casting Hamilton in a starring role

Local filmmakers have launched the Hamilton Film Board, with the intention of shining a spotlight on the city's potential as a movie and TV filming hub.   Who doesn’t get a thrill — maybe even a little burst of civic pride — when they spot Hamilton…
Arts + Culture

INCITE FOUNDATION: Making art accessible to all

The incite Foundation for the Arts supports the work of the Dundas Valley School of Art. The incite Foundation for the Arts has contributed more than $9 million to 50 Hamilton-area organizations, through grants from $2,500 to $300,000, since it was founded in 2011. It is the…
Arts + Culture

INTO THE GROOVE

Take a step inside Hamilton’s vibrant independent record store scene, and be sure to check out these neighbourhood hotspots when buying for the music lover on your list. Hamilton is home to an active network of independent record stores, each offering a mix of…
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 November. Launched Balaji Ghughra (600 Concession St., Hamilton) Taking over the storefront that was recently vacated by Delight Corner, Balaji Ghughra is serving up vegetarian snacks and sandwiches from Rajkot, a city in…
Arts + Culture

Messiah: An HPO holiday tradition in the making

You can sing along or just enjoy the music when the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach Elgar Choir collaborate for the fourth time on Handel’s beloved oratorio. Handel’s Messiah is one of the best and most beloved classical works of all time and has become a…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein a slapstick delight

Drury Lane production combines terrific set design, costuming, and choreography with a cast and crew who work as a well-oiled machine. Extending the spooky season until the end of the month is Burlington’s Drury Lane with its top-notch production of the zany Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Drury Lane…
Food + Drink

Party time treats

We are rolling into the season for holiday potlucks, and with that comes the pressure — and the pleasure — of figuring out what to take. If you don’t have the talent or the time to whip something up yourself, here are some fantastic options from local businesses…
Arts + Culture

Margaret Atwood entertains Hamilton crowd with stories and wit

Handmaid’s Tale author, who released a memoir this month, was the guest of honour at a fundraiser to raise money for Interval House of Hamilton. There may have been 1,500 people in attendance, but An Evening With Margaret Atwood was an intimate night filled with strength and hope. …