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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Theatre Ancaster’s A Chorus Line kicks up its heels

The entertaining and enduring Broadway classic is the first production on Theatre Ancaster’s 30th anniversary playbill for 2026-2027. Entering its final weekend of shows, Theatre Ancaster’s mainstage production of A Chorus Line provides a great opportunity to see a Broadway classic and be very well entertained by a…
Arts + Culture

It’s 10 years of the Bard under the stars for Tottering Biped Theatre

Hamilton’s Tottering Biped Theatre celebrates a decade of staging summer Shakespeare with its most ambitious season yet – three 2026 productions and many returning artists. Ten years is a milestone few indie theatre companies can boast. Amid economic challenges, competing entertainments, and changing audiences, making theatre as an…
Made in Hamilton

Saving the strays at Ladybird Animal Sanctuary

After rescuing nearly 1,900 animals over 16 years, Hamilton-based Ladybird Animal Sanctuary is close to creating a farm that will be a refuge for animals in desperate need. It all started with three friends working together for one unforgettable cat. Sweet Oliver the cat was the first…
Made in Hamilton

Made in Hamilton: The Mabel’s Labels Story

A frustrating parenting problem, a vision to solve it, and some tenacity helped a quartet of moms create an enduring brand. Read on for co-founder Julie Cole's six business lessons learned. Over 23 years ago, my sister and two friends, all of us former students…
City Life

Wesley: Never standing still

The made-in-Hamilton non-profit began its work in a church basement 71 years ago. Focused on poverty, homelessness, and the complex social challenges at the root of those issues, Wesley’s more than 300 staff lead critical social programs in 17 locations in Hamilton and beyond. Ryan S. was…
City Life

Kenadie, how do I talk to pretty girls?

Welcome to the 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 new HAMILTON…
Arts + Culture

Now THAT was a Festival of Friends!

A huge summer storm threatened to derail an all-star 50th anniversary concert on Sunday. But resilient Canadian musicians, led by Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, refused to give in, and delivered an epic, memory-making show. That capped off three great days of music, markets, midway and food at Gage…
Arts + Culture

IN PHOTOS: Festival of Friends 2026

The Festival of Friends – its 50th year! – is in full swing at Gage Park. Featuring dozens of musical acts, market vendors, and lots of delicious food options, the festival wraps up with an all-star concert of local and Canadian acts on Sunday night! PHOTOS BY BOB…
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…

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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.


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…
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 February. Launched & opening soon Blondies (4490 Fairview St., Burlington) Replacing the previous pizza shop in the location Pizza Boat, which closed in October last year, Blondies is a…