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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.


City Life

ALS: Riding for a cure

Kris Noakes has a genetic form of the motor neuron condition known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She’s leading a ride in Dundas that aims to raise money and awareness about the devastating disease.  Kris Noakes found out two years ago, at the age of 48, that she has…
City Life

Supercrawl in top crowd-pleasing form

Plenty of great music, food, art and fashion made for a fantastic showcase for locals and out-of-towners alike. For its 15th year, the now-famous Supercrawl street festival returned to James Street North Sept. 8-10, entertaining many tens of thousands of locals and out-of-towners with its multifaceted mix of…
Made in Hamilton

Getting to the core

Thousands more people will be living in Hamilton’s downtown in coming years. This will change how downtowners live, work and play. Hamilton’s downtown, long marked by abandoned storefronts and empty streets, is undergoing a rapid transformation. Construction cranes now dot the city’s skyline, reflecting a surge in residential…
City Life

Brian’s story: From tragedy to triumph

A family and its community united to beat the odds after a father's catastrophic injury. Brian Campbell’s story could be called a tragedy. But it is better described as one of determination, love and hope. He’s a living testimony that when disaster strikes, you can overcome and move…
City Life

City View: Dwelling in possibility

JANE ALLISON was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital (she is even on the Baby Wall there) and raised in Burlington. She finally moved to Hamilton in 2018 after years of working in the city, including roles as manager of community partnerships at The Hamilton Spectator and public relations…
Arts + Culture

History teaches the stubbornness of the Hamilton artist

This year has brought three exhibitions about the city’s artistic past at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, McMaster Museum of Art and Hamilton Artists’ Inc. There is a special place on my bookshelf for Climbing the Cold White Peaks, a book produced by Hamilton Artists Inc. in the…
Arts + Culture

The marvellous Hamilton Place is 50

Yes, we know it’s officially called the FirstOntario Concert Hall, but its original name endures, as does its acoustical excellence, its musical legacy and its importance to Hamiltonians. You might call it FirstOntario Concert Hall, because that’s what its sign says it is. You might have called it…
Arts + Culture

Music continues to be protest for Kojo Damptey

Afro-soul musician, music producer, songwriter, keyboardist and composer is releasing his third album tomorrow. For Hamiltonian Kojo “Easy” Damptey, political activism and musical expression go hand in hand. You may know Kojo (everybody in the city calls him by his first name) from his full-time anti-racism work in…