Hamilton Day to return across the city for its annual celebration

The annual Hamilton Day weekend event is coming up on the first weekend of November, and there will be plenty of fun things to do that all Hamiltonians can enjoy. 

Nov. 1 to 3, residents can entertain themselves with shopping, dining, and entertainment all across the city, with over 1,000 participating shops, tours, pop-up markets, concerts, and more, from Waterdown to Stoney Creek. 

Organized to encourage residents to shop local, Hamilton Day highlights the importance of small businesses, The event, first started in 1931, gives citizens the chance to discover hidden gems in their neighbourhoods and take advantage of limited-time discounts offered by various shops.

For non-shopping programming, Hamiltonians can experience concerts from various artists and groups including Mohawk College’s very own Applied Music Department’s classical major students, as well as various art shows, theatre productions, literary events, Road2Hope marathons and a variety of social events like Nintendo Switch gaming, a Halloween parade and pop-up museum events for children.

Max Francis, local business owner of True Hamiltonian, a Hamilton apparel business selling printed tees, hoodies, hats and more, collaborated with Hamilton Day to offer a $100 gift card for one lucky winner. 

“The way we got started was just a clothing line to promote the love and support the Hamilton community has for each other, and it kicked off and we’ve been doing it for 10 years now,” Francis said. “We do all the local festivals, it’s a really good way of meeting with the community and engaging with them.”

True Hamiltonian is in the spirit of offering sales and promotions for their products, catering to the community on special street-wide pedestrian days or city-wide celebrations like Hamilton Day.

“We always try to pick a price point that’s super easy for someone to wrap their head around,” Francis said. “Normally our shirts are $25 plus tax, but at festivals, we’ll do $20, because it’s a really easy amount.” 

The official Hamilton Day website highlights a lengthy list of participating businesses, including Kyoto Claw, Mystic Ramen, Luci Boutique, and plenty more.

Check out @hamiltondayofficial on Instagram for the latest information about the event, including updates on participating businesses, programming, partner events, and giveaways.