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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

Emma Donoghue’s The Paris Express tracks fateful journey

Acclaimed writer will visit Hamilton to talk about her new work of historical fiction at a pre-festival gritLIT event at the Playhouse Cinema on April 9. Acclaimed author Emma Donoghue loves the time immediately after releasing a new book, when she tours to give readings and speak at…
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 March. Launched Aquanova Brewing Co. (67 Frid St., Hamilton) After building its brand at various local restaurants, Aquanova is now bringing its high-quality, uniquely crafted beers in a newly opened unique, pet-friendly space…
City Life

Looking to the past helps us eat local in the present

There are plenty of reasons to think about the food we eat and where it comes from – environmental, nutritional and now political. How our country’s Indigenous people and settlers fed themselves provides a blueprint for today. Almost 20 years ago, the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Fully Committed is a heaping plate of fun

Gavin Crawford delivers a captivating performance in a one-man play that beautifully satirizes the rich and the powerful desperate for a table at NYC’s hottest restaurant. Gavin Crawford’s hilarious performance in Fully Committed at Theatre Aquarius is nothing short of remarkable. I was exhausted for him as he…
Arts + Culture

Andrea Bocelli announces sole Canadian appearance in Hamilton

Renowned Italian tenor will perform at transformed Hamilton Arena on Dec. 9. Ticket sales begin April 1. World-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli will make his first appearance in Hamilton when he is among the very first to perform at the newly reopened Hamilton Arena on Dec.
Arts + Culture

AGH exhibit celebrates the mystery of the lost painting

Ongoing exhibit running until May 25 features more than 60 works by Helen McNicoll, an important Canadian Impressionist who was recognized by contemporaries during her short career. The Art Gallery of Hamilton played a key role in determining the authenticity of a long-lost…
Arts + Culture

Review: Deep, authentic performances carry Tuesdays With Morrie

The Players’ Guild of Hamilton stages popular production that delivers ‘cathartic spirit and a sweet hopefulness.’ Tuesdays with Morrie, on stage now at The Players’ Guild of Hamilton, had been on the radar for co-producers and directors Sandi Katz and Dan Penrose for quite some time. With the…
City Life

Community event delivers free cuts and styles to 257 kids and youth

Excel in Style saw 66 textured hair professionals donate their Saturday to boost confidence and self-expression for Black and racialized young people. Lohifa Pogoson Acker gets teary when she recaps a recent event to deliver haircuts and styling to more than 250 Black and racialized kids and…