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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.


Food + Drink

Famished for the food truck

Ottawa Street’s Sew Hungry began in 2013 as a way to celebrate Hamilton’s burgeoning food truck culture. Both are still going strong. As Ottawa Street gears up for the return of Sew Hungry on May 11, the food truck scene in Hamilton has never been more vibrant. Hamilton…
Arts + Culture

Musical incubator at Theatre Aquarius announces first cohort of productions

The National Centre for New Musicals will provide mentorship and consultation to the Canadian composers, lyricists, book writers and theatre artists behind five new musical works. The National Centre for New Musicals (NCNM) at Theatre Aquarius has announced the first cohort of five productions that have been selected…
Arts + Culture

Grief, gardening and growing up

Village Theatre Waterdown presents Bloom, a play about innocence, hope and friendship, and a production where newer performers are cultivating their craft. It’s fitting that Village Theatre Waterdown’s spring production is titled Bloom, in more ways than one. The play follows a grieving teenager who, after acting out…
Arts + Culture

Peter Mansbridge celebrates the fascinating, critical jobs Canadians do

The former anchor of CBC News’ The National and co-author of How Canada Works was a special guest of Hamilton’s gritLIT festival. The man who once had one of the most visible jobs in the country is fascinated by the invisible and unsung jobs that are the backbone…
Food + Drink

Rebranded Bardō offering ingredients for success

The former Earth to Table Bread Bars on Locke and James streets have a new name and a new look but remain committed to good food. A trivial casualty of the pandemic was that my Bread Bar James brunch review never saw the light of day. Restaurants faced…
Arts + Culture

Shining the stage lights on Tom Wilson’s story

The world premiere of Beautiful Scars, a musical adaptation of the musician and artist's 2017 memoir, is about creating understanding and has required a deep level of trust and creative collaboration, he says. The journey has been a long and winding road, but the world premiere of Beautiful…
Arts + Culture

Taking on the hits of Motown

Theatre Ancaster’s Mainstage tribute concert series will feature local blues icon Harrison Kennedy. Kicking off the 2024 Mainstage tribute concert series for Theatre Ancaster is the Music of Motown, featuring local legend Harrison Kennedy.  According to Colin Lapsley, the executive director of the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre and…
Food + Drink

The King of restaurant row

The east-west King William Street is a historically significant street in the city and is now one of Hamilton’s most important dining districts. I visit the King William Street dining district often. It has much to offer and triggers fond memories. Readers of a certain age will recall…