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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

‘I’m an Anna through and through,’ says Frozen star

It’s a challenging role and a demanding run of 45 shows in 40 days, but Jessica Gallant feels she was born to play the awkward and intrepid younger sister in the musical adaptation of the Disney hit. Editor’s note: Check out our Instagram on Wednesday, Dec. 17…
City Life

Reason for the season: Where you can help those in need during the holidays

There are many worthy local organizations dedicated to ensuring every child, adult and senior can experience some joy and hope this season. Giving Tuesday on Dec. 2 is the perfect opportunity to donate.  It’s that time of year again, when our hearts are full with the magic…
Arts + Culture

Drury Lane’s Cinderella is a holiday treat

There is a lot to like about this Christmas pantomime. From zany slapstick to on-point choreography, this community showcase is fun for the whole family. A holiday tradition across the world, Cinderella pantomime shows have a lengthy tradition going back centuries. Featuring outlandish costumes and slapstick comedy while…
City Life

Deeply affordable 412 Barton opens

The $8.3-million project led by St. Matthew’s House will offer housing to 15 people facing homelessness, with a special focus on Black and Indigenous seniors and women. Two years ago, on another blustery December day, ground was officially broken at the site of a dream to house 15…
Food + Drink

The Iron Cow brings something that’s been missing to downtown

Part elevated British pub, and part sports bar, Matty Matheson-led eatery delivers with a creative and well-executed menu in a welcoming space. Holy Cow!  There is a new restaurant in town, part of the recently renovated and reopened TD Coliseum complex.  My dining experience as a media…
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. COTS – Disturbing Body & Moonlit Building Hamilton has long been fertile…
Arts + Culture

Hamilton Reads — KidLit Holiday Edition

From picture books about difficult subjects such as homelessness, and grief, to collections of letters and art by Indigenous voices, laugh-out loud read-alouds, and spine-tingling poems, there are many choices this holiday season for the young reader on your list. As a parent, you think you’re supposed…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Frozen is heartwarming and magical

You’ll laugh, you’ll cheer and you’ll be transported as Theatre Aquarius's production brilliantly brings animated Disney classic to the stage. Frozen, The Broadway Musical at Theatre Aquarius is pure magic. That is true in both the literal and the figurative senses. If you’ve ever wanted to escape…
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…
Arts + Culture

Joni Mitchell, Nelly Furtado to be honoured at 2026 JUNO Awards

Hometown rockers Arkells will perform when Hamilton hosts Canada’s national music awards in March. The stars are beginning to align for Hamilton’s turn to host the 2026 JUNO Awards.  Hamilton legends Arkells will perform, pop superstar Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame,…
Arts + Culture

A bold new era for Hamilton’s downtown

TD Coliseum offers a world-class experience for artists and fans in a reimagined, music-first venue that no longer feels like an arena. What has changed inside and what will it mean for the city? The media tours are done. The ceremonial ribbon has been cut. And…
Arts + Culture

HAMILTON’S CELEBRATION OF SOUND

2026 will be a history-making year in the city’s music sector and will chart the course for an amplified future. Hamilton is a city of music and 2026 will be a history-making year that will give music lovers plenty of reasons to celebrate.   It all begins with the…
City Life

OPINION: York Boulevard is a grand vision gone wrong

Hamilton’s gateway entrance from the west was once to be modelled after great European streets. But instead of being the ‘Champs Elysee of North America,’ the City caved to private interests and what was built is the architectural horror story it is today. There is a nearly 50-year-old…
Arts + Culture

Hamilton music makers you should know

This city is a musical powerhouse. Here are a few local standouts sharing what they love about the place they call home. Killotine Photo: Rae Chatten Who: Metal band, represented Canada at Wacken Open Air 2025. Members: Matt Fraser (vocals and rhythm guitar), Jesse Luciani (lead guitar), James…
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)! Is there any better escape from the relentless news cycle, doom scrolling and polarizing politics, and any simpler way to…

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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

The Mule Spinner: Music’s tiny temple

A multi-purpose creative space founded by Hamilton music veterans Glen Marshall and the late Bob Lanois, the former stable at the Cotton Factory hosts intimate live performances and recording sessions. It looks like a film set. A set for something set in the early 1900s, perhaps. Industrial turn-of-the-century…
Food + Drink

Southern comfort

Summer is the time for bibs, BBQ and lip-smacking chicken and ribs. So get out to visit these great spots while the sun is warm and patios and picnic tables beckon. The smell of smokers wafts throughout the air and summer is in full-swing! Is there anything that…
Arts + Culture

INCITE FOUNDATION: Sinfonia Ancaster

The incite Foundation for the Arts supports the work of Sinfonia Ancaster. 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 legacy of the late Carl…
Arts + Culture

HAMILTON FRINGE FESTIVAL MINI-REVIEWS

HAMILTON CITY Magazine is taking in Hamilton Fringe Festival shows all across our city and delivering fast and fun reviews. Check them all out here! Fringe 2025 is 55 plays and 350 performances and runs until July 27. * HAMILTON CITY Magazine's CRITIC'S PICK: A…
Arts + Culture

Sonic Unyon: Taking on the flip side

Long-time musician Wayne Petti has taken a role with Sonic Unyon that sees him managing artists through the new SUM Artist Management, while growing the label, and pitching in with the evolution of a musical empire. The juggernaut that is multi-faceted Hamilton-based independent music company Sonic Unyon…
Arts + Culture

A Ringside (Hamilton) seat

Large event space at the back of Architect Hair Design on James Street North is proving popular for weddings, parties and dances. If you’ve ventured down the colourful alley beside Architect Hair Design on James Street North, you won’t forget what you found.  It opens to a courtyard…
City Life

Rethinking Chedoke Creek

The future of a critical Hamilton waterway that is partially buried is being imagined in a community design lab. Water is foundational to Hamilton. We are a city on a harbour that has been the focus of inhabitants for generations. Whether it was for trading or industry, or…
Arts + Culture

Lifting women’s voices in music

Hamilton/Halton is the 11th chapter of Women in Music Canada, and will host local networking events, workshops, panels, artist showcases and meet-ups. Male-dominated industries can be isolating, intimidating, and at times hostile to women and genderqueer people navigating careers within them. The arts, often lauded as industries of…