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Celebrating all things Hamilton / Welcome Message
Arts + Culture

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

By Meredith MacLeod
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

Readers and writers: Your guide to gritLIT 2026

By Meredith MacLeod
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

New music venues: This booker is back

By Kerry Doole
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

By Diane Galambos
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

By Dylan Hudecki
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

By Heather Peter
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

By HCM
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…
Arts + Culture

HAMILTON READS

By Jessica Rose
Food + Drink

ON THE MENU: WHAT’S OPENED AND CLOSED ON THE LOCAL RESTAURANT SCENE

By Suzanne Zandbergen
Made in Hamilton

OPINION: Turning up the volume on Hamilton

By Greg Dunnett
Food + Drink

Aloha says hello in Dundas

By Suzanne Zandbergen

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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.

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Arts + Culture

Arkells: ‘We’re as hungry as ever’

By Meredith MacLeod
It’s 20 years and album No. 11 for Hamilton’s beloved indie rockers. Between Us comes out April 17 and kicks off a tour in Canada, U.S., and Europe. The release of Arkell’s 11th album Between Us is a nod to their first, Jackson Square. The 11-track record, which…
Arts + Culture

Punching In: Exhibit showcases the work of Hamilton music

By Stephanie Vegh
In honour of the city of music’s 2026 year of music campaign, this year-long exhibit celebrates the musicians, producers, educators, and advocates whose contributions shaped the melodies of Hamilton. On display now through the end of the year in Tourism Hamilton’s Visitor Experience Centre, Punching In: The Work…
City Life

CITY VIEW: Immersed in Inspiration

By Stephen Near
JOE OLLMANN is an award-winning cartoonist whose 2021 book Fictional Father was short-listed for the Governor General's Award. He is a co-editor of Hamilton anthology Bonk'd Comics and his latest graphic novel is The Woodchipper. Joe Ollmann is a cartoonist who has lived in Hamilton most of his…
Arts + Culture

MAJOR LEAP OF FAITH: How Hamilton changed The JUNOS

By Kerry Doole
It took plenty of convincing of the folks at CARAS to consider a 1995 move of the national music awards out of Toronto and about 70 km west to Copps Coliseum. One board member even called our city a ‘smog-filled, crime-ridden lunchbucket town.’ But CARAS president and Hamilton…
Arts + Culture

So, what’s it like to win a JUNO?

By Jamie Tennant
Music writer Jamie Tennant reached out to homegrown talent about what winning Canada’s biggest music award meant to them and their careers. SEE ALL OUR JUNOS COVERAGE HERE! Since the first JUNOS in 1970 (then known as the Golden Leaf Awards),…
Arts + Culture

48 HOURS IN HAMILTON: A music lover’s curated weekend

By Dylan Hudecki
Whether you’re a frequent visitor or taking in Hamilton for the first time during JUNO Week, musician and music writer Dylan Hudecki offers suggestions for spending a music-focused weekend in the city. SEE ALL OUR JUNOS COVERAGE HERE! Welcome to the Hammer,…
Arts + Culture

ALANIS TO ARKELLS: Hamilton’s iconic JUNO Awards moments

By Dylan Hudecki
Hamilton has hosted Canada's Biggest Night in Music six times and has been centre stage for some historical highlights. With six previous hosting gigs, Hamilton has played a starring role in JUNOS history. From Alanis Morissette’s record-breaking sweep to unforgettable nights with Céline Dion and The Tragically Hip,…
Arts + Culture

HAMILTON IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Memories of The JUNOS

By Kerry Doole
Celebrity spotting, after parties, pop-up concerts and at least two winners who missed their moments on the stage … what Hamilton musicians and musical insiders remember about the city’s previous turns hosting The JUNOS. There have been so many musical memories born in Hamilton during the six previous…
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