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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

Hamilton stars at the Hamilton Film Festival

The 21-year-old film event features 100 shorts, documentaries and features, from established and new filmmakers, shown over 10 days. Here we talk with festival director Nathan Fleet and Hamilton filmmakers Rita Chiarelli, Liv Ellis, Maddy Foley, and Jeff Robinson. The Hamilton Film Festival works every year to…
City Life

State of the City: Hamilton needs 50 ideas to turn around the downtown

Business leaders, urban planners, and police officials call for well-executed small wins, stronger partnerships with other levels of government, and coordinated community action to restore confidence in the city’s core. Hamilton’s downtown revival will depend as much on fixing everyday problems as it does on major infrastructure…
Arts + Culture

Solo show shares stories from frontline shelters during the pandemic

Hamilton playwright Tommy Taylor will debut You Should Have Stayed Home Too at Theatre Aquarius. The show drawn from his decade working in emergency shelters and overdose prevention sites features lost music from his late aunt, who was best friend, roommate and collaborator of Joni Mitchell. A…
Arts + Culture

Learning to Breathe: Clara Hughes discovers life beyond the finish line

After a lifetime of pushing her body to extraordinary limits, the six-time Olympic medallist found herself facing an unfamiliar opponent: stillness. In her new memoir, the cyclist and speed skater explores a devastating injury, menopausal upheaval, and buried trauma that forced her to rethink everything she thought she…
Arts + Culture

Staats shines at folk awards in Hamilton

The Ontario Folk Music Awards kicked off the five-day Folk Canada conference taking place in downtown Hamilton. Six Nations of the Grand River singer-songwriter Logan Staats won big, along with Tanika Charles and Aysanabee at the awards show hosted by Terra Lightfoot. Six Nations of the Grand River…
City Life

CANDIDATE SURVEY: HAMILTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2026

The Hamilton Arts Council, Hamilton Phil, and HAMILTON CITY Magazine have teamed up to produce a four-question survey of mayoral and ward candidates vying for seats at City council in the Oct. 26 municipal election. Read on to for the candidates' thoughts about arts and culture in Hamilton.
Food + Drink

Your ultimate Hamilton fun & food guide

Are you looking to play with your food? From bowling, escape rooms, and axe throwing to open mics, batting cages, karaoke bars, and board game cafés, you'll never have to choose between a great meal and a great time. We’ve all been there. You and your besties are…
Arts + Culture

A winding musical road

James Bryan has had a long and varied career as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, mentor, and concert producer who has worked with huge names in music in a variety of genres, and fronted two successful Canadian bands. His animated pop duo Prozzak will play FirstOntario Concert…
Arts + Culture

PREVIEW: Crown Point Players presenting unique companion plays

Lone Star and Laundry and Bourbon features two one-act plays set in 1970s Texas, one with an all-female cast and the other with an all male cast. It will run at Crown & Press from Oct. 16 to 24. New theatre company Crown Point Players is presenting…
Food + Drink

Buzz worthy: 5 restaurants in Hamilton, Burlington generating social media love

When you can’t make a decision about what restaurant to go to or order from, you simply can’t go wrong with any of these choices. These are eateries that consistently generate glowing reviews from patrons. Visit while they’re hot! Cowabunga 4.5-star average on Google Reviews Cowabunga…
Food + Drink

Jerk, done right

We are spoiled for local restaurants bringing big, bold Caribbean flavour to the table – just in time for the arrival of cooler weather. There is something heart-warming about the bold delicious flavours of a jerk chicken dish – some spice, some sweetness, and a…

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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

The Hamilton Biosphere Park: A new eco-destination

There is an internationally recognized ecological gem running right through the middle of our city. It’s time to recognize the fabulous opportunity before us to celebrate and protect the Niagara Escarpment. “This is amazing!”  “The views are incredible.” “It’s so close to neighbourhoods.”  “I never knew Hamilton…
Arts + Culture

The art of Revival

Jerrold and Marta Hewson aim to make their newly opened art store, café, photography studio and event space on Cannon Street East near Ottawa a hub for ‘creative disruptors.’ It might be hard to immediately see the silver lining in being struck by a car while crossing…
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

Considering Matthew Shepard explores shocking murder, but finds peace and hope, too

Oratorio being performed by HPO and the Elora Singers on Nov. 26 brings together elements of musical theatre but also includes elements of jazz and blues, gospel, country and opera. A terrible thing happened in Wyoming in October 1998. A university student left a bar with a…
Arts + Culture

146-year-old feminist tale a treat for theatre-goers

A production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House in historic performance space is a collaboration between Rook’s Theatre and Same Boat Theatre. Premiering in 1879, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a three-act Norwegian play about anxious and unsatisfied housewife Nora and her relationship to her paternalistic husband…
Arts + Culture

Hamilton represents at birthday bash for Neil Young

The legendary singer-songwriter has turned 80 and a tribute show at Massey Hall last week brought out plenty of musicians with deep local connections. All photos by Bob Hatcher A roster of Canadian musicians turned out for NY80: A Celebration of Neil Young and his Music on the…
Happening Now

6 chances to get your pet’s photo with Santa in Hamilton

Father Christmas likes to take a break from children’s wish lists to hang out with pooches, cats and other pets to raise money for fantastic local animal rescues. Who doesn’t want a festive photo of their dog with Santa? Or simply a holiday-themed pet pic you can…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Four lives through a friendship lens

20th Century Blues at Village Theatre Waterdown explores a quartet of women’s experiences in navigating later middle age. Onstage at Village Theatre Waterdown until Nov. 23 is American playwright and screenwriter Susan Miller’s 2016 play, 20th Century Blues. Its strength and its draw is in its focus on…