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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Made in Hamilton

Festival of Friends at 50

The iconic Festival of Friends, a Hamilton summer music tradition, celebrates a half-century of harmonies by looking back at what makes a lasting and much-loved legacy. For the Festival of Friends, the magic is the moments. From unforgettable musical acts to iconic artists returning year after year,…
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

Supercrawl reveals stellar 2026 lineup

Headliners Aysanabee, Protest the Hero, Mariel Buckley, The Grapes of Wrath, Murda Beatz, and William Prince join local performers Superstar Crush, Emma Whale, Golden Feather, Chore, Capitol, and Steve Strongman. For one weekend every September, James Street North in Hamilton transforms into the epicentre of Canadian music. Since…
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 June. Launched & opening soon Burgers n’ Fries Forever (738 Burloak Dr., Burlington) This Ontario franchise has recently expanded to Burlington with its Halal Triple A Canadian beef smash…
City Life

PRIDE Q&A: Sarah Barnhart, primary dreamer at FruitSalad

The events series for ‘lesbians, 2SLGBTQIA+ women, femmes, gender non-conforming folks, and their friends’ turns five in August. Sarah Barnhart (she/they) describes herself as the primary dreamer of FruitSalad. Originally from Burlington, Barnhart created the Hamilton-based FruitSalad after a visit to Montreal in 2021. FruitSalad is a…
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…
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…
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…
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…

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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

REVIEW: Newsies is art at its best

Curtain Call Performing Arts Company’s production of this classic musical features a strong cast, standout choreography and a message perfectly suited to our times. Curtain Call Performing Arts Company, a local theatre company soon entering its ninth season, has produced a wonderful rendition of Disney’s Newsies: The Musical…
Arts + Culture

Lots of heart in this Little Shop of Horrors

Big Hearts Little Theatre’s production features strong, sinister and sweet performances, and an extraordinary man-eating plant. Entering its final weekend, Big Hearts Little Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors offers a family-friendly option for those wanting to fill these remaining weeks before school starts with theatre…
Arts + Culture

This West Side Story soars

Theatre Ancaster’s production of classic, and still timely, musical is full of stellar performances, spectacle and energy. Heading home from Theatre Ancaster’s mainstage production of West Side Story, I reflected on the wealth of talent we have in the Hamilton area from actors and musicians to singers and…
Arts + Culture

Decades of Steel City sound

Hamilton has long punched above its weight as a musical powerhouse. Here, we trace 55 years of the city’s breakout bands. And check out great live music venues, too. It is no secret that Hamilton is one of Canada’s biggest and best music cities. With its…
City Life

Summer staycations: Sunflower fields and farms

The bright yellow flowers are beacons for people seeking spectacular photos but crowds are damaging to crops growing on private property. These farms offer sunflower field experiences that are safe and responsible. Sunflower season is short but spectacular – and best enjoyed at farms that welcome visitors responsibly.
City Life

Hamilton honours NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with key to the city

NBA superstar is only the second recipient of Hamilton’s highest civic honour. The first will likely surprise you. By Stephen Metelsky and Jenna Yeomans NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the key to the City of Hamilton on Thursday, becoming only the second person in the city’s…
Food + Drink

Nostalgia rules at Nanny & Bull’s

Barton Street East bar pays homage to the homey feeling of visiting beloved grandparents. Just three weeks after opening their bar Nanny & Bull’s on Barton Street East in early March, married couple Jeff Richards and Lexi McKenna learned how Hamiltonians rally to help. After they closed on…
City Life

Football’s Rob Hitchcock: The underdog hero

Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker was told he was too small to play football but he refused to accept that. He tirelessly worked his way, not only to a pro career, but to a Grey Cup title and his hometown team’s Wall of Honour. In 1999, Rob Hitchcock, the Ticats…