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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

Theatre festival an act of representation, resistance

Red Beti’s Decolonise Your Ears New Play Reading Festival, happening this weekend, presents ‘stories that might not otherwise be heard,’ says founder. Red Beti Theatre is holding its fifth annual Decolonise Your Ears New Play Reading Festival at Theatre Aquarius in downtown Hamilton. The three-day festival will feature…
Arts + Culture

It’s 20 years for the Hamilton Film Festival

The annual celebration of local and independent films will screen 108 works this year, with at least 25 of them coming from filmmakers in Hamilton. Founder and co-director Nathan Fleet says you will ‘cleanse your cinematic palette’ and experience movies you would never otherwise see. The Hamilton Film…
Food + Drink

Barrel Heart Brewing’s recipe for a Michelin Bib Gourmand

Barrel Heart Brewing in Dundas serves an innovative and creative menu, backed by attention to high-quality ingredients and skilled preparation under the direction of chef Mitchell Gatschuff. It's one of two Hamilton-area restaurants —both in Dundss — to get Michelin recognition this year. Is the “recipe” for…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: The Time Capsule is comedy with a beating heart

Theatre Aquarius’s opening show of its 52nd season brings together a talented cast and a funny script that celebrates Hamilton. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s Hamilton. The Time Capsule at Theatre Aquarius brings together great performances, a sparkling script and deft directing to produce a night of…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: True West is gripping and insistent

It’s impossible to look away from The Kitchen Sink Collective’s take on the Sam Shepard classic, on stage at The Staircase Theatre this weekend. A few performances remain for a production of American actor/playwright Sam Shepard's play True West, put on by Hamilton theatre company The Kitchen Sink…
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 September. Launched 2Maytea (518 Concession St., Hamilton) Now open on Concession in the spot that was last occupied by Akus Family Dining, serving banh mi, fruit tea and Vietnamese coffee.IG:…
Arts + Culture

Tales worth the Telling

Telling Tales, Hamilton’s children’s literary festival and the largest in Canada, is gearing up for its 17th year of imagination, storytelling, and storymaking this weekend. It will bring 60-plus acclaimed Canadian authors and illustrators, offerings readings, creative workshops, and book signings. There’s nothing quite like the vibe of…
Arts + Culture

A bold experiment in musical storytelling

Theatre Aquarius is a partner in Letters to the Future, a Canadian-United Kingdom collaboration using music, spoken word, and film to shape policy and public opinion. Theatre Aquarius is a partner in an international arts project that aims to build a new future based on the power of…