Hamilton City Magazine - Page 33 Skip to main content
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…

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

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…
Arts + Culture

PATCH will bring quilts to Corktown Park

First-ever such exhibition in the neighbourhood green space will celebrate the craft, the city and connections within the quilting community. Corktown Park will be transformed into an outdoor art gallery this Sunday when more than 30 Hamilton quilters display their handiwork on the fence of a basketball…
City Life

Hamilton Comic Con: In photos

The two-day pop culture extravaganza featuring artists, cosplay, celebrity guests and plenty of nostalgia at the Hamilton Convention Centre marked its 13th year in 2025 on . Photos by Janice Thiessen/automaticjane Click on any image for full-sized slideshow…
Food + Drink

King James: Vol. 2

We couldn’t tell the food story of James Street North in just one issue. The street, without a doubt, the heart of downtown Hamilton, is constantly evolving but rooted in the success of mainstays and the neighbourhood’s ethnic diversity. Welcome back to more stories about the James North…
City Life

LIFE IN THE CITY

PHOTOS BY BRENT PERNIAC AND DONNA WAXMAN Click on an image for full-sized slideshow Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Day, where the Hamilton native and NBA superstar got a key to the City of Hamilton and was celebrated at a Hamilton Tiger-Cats game, Hamilton Stadium,…