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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.


Arts + Culture

It’s Your Festival unveils lineups

Three-day event is in its 54th year and celebrates the 156 birthday of Canada with music, food, family fun, a parade of cultures, a citizenship ceremony and much more. Chilliwack, Jully Black and The Box will headline the 54th annual It's Your Festival on the Canada Day long…
City Life

Things to Do: Pride Events

You can get your queer on at a plenty of events in Hamilton and Halton this month! Uncloseted At The StaircaseIn celebration of queer visibility and the power of bonding through laughter, The Staircase presents a weekend-long festival in recognition of Pride 2023. The Uncloseted Comedy…
City Life

2SLGBTQ+ community flags and what they stand for

June is #Pridemonth – and what a colourful month it is! The rainbow flag is the most widely used flag to symbolize pride, but did you know there are over 20 different flags associated with Pride? Below is a breakdown of the most common flags in use…
Arts + Culture

Art Gallery of Burlington fires up new ceramics exhibit

The Weight of Clay features 40 works from 40 artists amassed over the gallery’s 40 years. Forty works by 40 artists will commemorate the 40 years of the Art Gallery of Burlington. A new retrospective exhibit called The Weight of Clay 40 Years of the Collection opens…
Arts + Culture

McMaster Museum of Art unveils bold new look at museums

Chasm demands exploration of the oppressive systems embedded in traditional museum practices. The McMaster Museum of Art is undertaking a bold rethinking of the museum concept. Beginning June 13, curators Pamela Edmonds and Betty Julian are presenting an exploratory collection exhibition that looks inward…
Food + Drink

Hamilton is chickening out on backyard fowl

It may be illegal to keep hens and roosters within the city limits of Hamilton, but backyard chickens are a great addition to urban life. Driving through the tony neighbourhood of Kirkendall South a few years ago, you might have been surprised to see an escape artist chicken…
Arts + Culture

Crown & Press celebrates Ottawa Street opening

Artist Julia Veenstra and her family will celebrate the grand opening of the Art Deco-inspired gallery, cafe and event space on June 16. Things are happening in the 3,500-square-foot old Ottawa Street storefront now known as Crown & Press Gallery. When I sat down with…
Made in Hamilton

Preaching to the converted: New life for old churches

Ring the bells, Hamilton’s church conversion game is heating up all across the city. It all started with a parade. When they laid the cornerstone at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Victorian Hamilton threw a party. To celebrate the new church at Main Street and West Avenue, the band…