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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.


Arts + Culture

Don Giovanni is Mozart at the top of his game

HPO and COSA (Centre of Opera Studies and Appreciation) are bringing one of the world’s favourite operas, an entertaining tale of an unredeemed, morally repugnant man, to Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre. Four hundred years ago in Spain, Tirso de Molina set into a play the archetype of…
Arts + Culture

Affordable housing for artists part of bold expansion plan for Art Gallery of Hamilton

Downtown institution’s preliminary plan calls for a new entrance and plaza on Main Street, a two-storey gallery dedicated to Hamilton’s history, and much more space for displaying the gallery’s collection. An ambitious plan to transform the Art Gallery of Hamilton over the next decade is entering phase one…
Arts + Culture

Read about the writers: A Q&A with the winners of the Hamilton Literary Awards

The city’s literary community is large and growing and has been celebrated for more than 30 years. Hear from the 2025 winners at this weekend’s Sharp Words festival. For more than 30 years, the Hamilton Literary Awards have recognized Hamilton writers and their books, acting as a…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: You’ve not seen anything like BOOM X

Now playing at Theatre Aquarius, Rick Miller’s one-man show is a whirlwind, but thoughtful, ride through Gen X’s defining 25 years. I have absolutely never before seen anything like BOOM X, the one-man show written, directed and performed by Rick Miller now on stage at Theatre Aquarius.  In…
Arts + Culture

Canadian musical theatre spotlight will shine on Hamilton

The National Centre for New Musicals at Theatre Aquarius is wrapping up its second year of supporting new productions and hosting a summit to put their work at centre stage. Hamilton will be the epicentre of Canada’s musical theatre world when the National Centre for New Musicals (NCNM)…
Arts + Culture

Rotterdam is a thought-provoking play of identity

The Players’ Guild of Hamilton’s latest production tackles themes of gender identity, authenticity, and the human need to belong. Christening the new year at The Players’ Guild is the play Rotterdam, a thought-provoking story that begins on a recent New Year’s Eve in the Dutch port city. Alice…
Arts + Culture

Comedian Mae Martin to host JUNO Awards in Hamilton

Ceremony will recognize Daniel Caesar and Billy Talent, broadcast will feature performance by William Prince, and JUNOfest performers announced, including nine with strong ties to Hamilton. Comedian, actor, singer-songwriter, podcast host, and writer Mae Martin will host the 55th annual JUNO Awards when they come to TD Coliseum in…
City Life

The Hamilton Children’s Museum is back in play

After a six-year closure and $6.7 million in upgrades, the Gage Park discovery centre has now reopened its doors. After close to six years of closure, the Hamilton Children’s Museum is now reopened. An addition to the 150-year-old building has more than doubled the space to accommodate…