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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

Readers and writers: Your guide to gritLIT 2026

The literary festival offers five days of readings, panels, workshops, and social events that celebrate writers of all kinds and the readers who read them. For 22 years, the Hamilton-born gritLIT has celebrated established writers, helped new ones develop, and given readers a front-row seat to well over…
Arts + Culture

World premiere shines a light on Canada, The Hip, and what home really means

It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, opening April 22 at Theatre Aquarius, is about connection, love, and saying something that needs to be said. That spirit, and the spirit of Gord Downie, are in the rehearsal room as this show comes to life, say its stars.
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Calendar Girls is balm for weary souls

Story of group of English women posing nude to raise money for their church is a nuanced exploration of aging, expectation, disappointment, and refusing to accept limitations. Binbrook Little Theatre’s production features brave performances and a solid focus on the story. Uplifting stories seem hard to find these…
Arts + Culture

New music venues: This booker is back

Brodie Schwendiman, operator of the late and beloved Casbah, is back booking music in a new downtown venue called Ridiculous, and other live-music locations in the region. 2025 was a rollercoaster ride of a year for Brodie Schwendiman. The music club operator and booker has played a crucial…
Food + Drink

Chef Matty Matheson: By the books

The celebrity chef has now made his mark in Hamilton, with elevated pub Iron Cow Public House at TD Coliseum. So what can we glean about him from the recipes and stories in his three cookbooks?  For months, his name was on the lips of Hamilton food…
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. TV FREAKS  – Blue Genie (garage, punk rock) Devotion, distortion, and the…
Food + Drink

Getting out: Music & menus

If live tunes help your food taste better, here’s a list of places where the grub is as good as the setlist! With this issue being HAMILTON CITY Magazine’s music issue, it seemed fitting to round-up a bundle of local restaurants where you can see and enjoy some…
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)! Escape the relentless news cycle, doom scrolling and polarizing politics, and find joy and laughter in pets. Hounds of Hamilton…

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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: Family story is powerful and relatable

Dundas Little Theatre’s Things I Know to Be True delivers impactful and nuanced performances from its cast of six family drama sure to strike a chord with audiences. The U.K.’s Radio Times once described Things I Know to Be True as an “understated gem.” It’s a…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Sequence is a clever, challenging piece of theatre

Village Theatre Waterdown’s closing production of the season merges two parallel narratives in a fast-paced, well-acted production. The closing production of Village Theatre Waterdown’s season is Sequence, a cerebral and mysterious show that will have synapses firing as big ideas and barbs fly. Sequence is an award-winning play…
Food + Drink

Henry’s on James, a 1920s-inspired jazz supper club opens downtown

James Street North live music venue by The Other Bird will be open Thursday to Sunday, featuring twice daily performances, a simple dinner and light-night menu, a jazz brunch on Sunday, and classic cocktails with a twist. It’s fair to say Hamilton hasn’t seen anything quite like Henry’s…
Arts + Culture

REVIEW: Waitress is a sweet slice of musical theatre

Theatre Aquarius’s season close-out production takes place in Joe’s Pie Diner where Jenna, played by Hamilton native Julia McLellan, escapes her loveless marriage by creating and baking desserts and dreaming of a new start. It runs until May 18. Waitress serves strong performances, great music, a…
Arts + Culture

PREVIEW: It’s Showtime for Beetlejuice Jr.

20 Performing Arts Academy presents show in three performances at The Polish Hall in Brantford on May 2 and 3. As local theatre lovers will be aware, Beetlejuice The Musical is part of Mirvish’s 2024-2025 season, running June 3 to July 19 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre…
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 April. Launched Coffee Bunny (1216 Upper Wentworth, Hamilton)Hamilton Mountain has been graced by another indie coffee shop, focused on a large menu of coffee and signature coffee drinks. Alongside craft beverages, you’ll also…
Arts + Culture

PREVIEW: Comedy with a heart coming to The Staircase

Jack Goes to Therapy: A (Somewhat) Romantic Comedy is a one-man play by Caledonia native and McMaster University graduate Zac Williams. The Staircase Theatre in Hamilton marks a stop of Zac Williams' 2025 Canadian tour with his comedic one-man show Jack Goes to Therapy: A (Somewhat) Romantic Comedy.
Food + Drink

Sweet success at WÜD Chocolates and Gifts

Nesreen Abusultan is a Palestinian woman who has made a journey from refugee to chocolatier and Burlington entrepreneur. In Middle Eastern culture, chocolate is more than an indulgence to satiate a sweet tooth or satisfy a craving. Rather, it’s a special treat to share with loved ones to…