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Happy Hamilton Day!
Hamilton Day: Halloween Edition kicks off today and runs through Sunday, November 1. Because it lands right on October 31st, don’t be surprised if your favourite barista is doubling as a Decaf Zombie!
The story of Hamilton Day goes back almost a century. In 1931, with the Great Depression hitting the city hard, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce launched the very first Hamilton Day. It was a rallying cry to lift spirits and keep commerce circulating close to home for our local shops.
Ninety years later, in 2021, our Chamber revived it with that same spirit- this time to help small businesses get through the pandemic. Hamiltonians showed up in such numbers that it has now become an annual tradition on the first weekend of November for us to celebrate the shops, cafés and venues that give our neighbourhoods their character.
Come on out this weekend to your favourite local spots or try some new ones ….and as an added bonus, you might win a pack of gift certificates generously donated by local businesses and hidden by The VIBE. The trick is finding packs located over 8 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and the treats are the packs with a total value of over $1500.
How it works:
Follow The Vibe Hamilton, the Hamilton Day Official and your favourite BIA on Instagram and Facebook, and turn on post notifications. The drops can happen any time over the next 3 days.
Each time we hide a pack, we’ll post a video on Instagram and Facebook with the package contents, the BIA and image clues.
Watch the video, head to the neighbourhood, find it first and it’s yours.
Tag @thevibehamilton and @hamiltondayofficial when you do, and we’ll share the moment.
Treat Drop BIA’s - International Village, Waterdown Village, Ancaster Village, Ottawa Street, Downtown Hamilton, Barton Village, Hess Village, Downtown Dundas.
Even if you don’t find a pack, this citywide celebration from Waterdown to Stoney Creek has more than 1,000 participating businesses, plus pop-up markets, concerts and walking tours across Hamilton’s 12 BIAs and across the city. It’s free and it happens rain or shine. Grab a coffee, try a new restaurant, or pick up something from that shop you’ve been meaning to check out. Every dollar spent locally goes straight back to the people who make Hamilton work.
And since it’s also Halloween weekend, there’s a lot happening beyond Hamilton Day: costume parties, haunted happenings, live music and more. For everything going on this week, head to the full events and live music list.
If you liked this week’s issue please share it with the friend who would absolutely sprint across the city for a hidden pack of gift cards.
~ Paul - ❤️
P.S. Wondering what is in the treat drops? Check out our videos on Instagram and Facebook to find out. While you are there, be sure to follow us so you don’t miss out.
🗓 Want to see your Hamilton, Ontario event included here? Please complete our Event Form here.
Note: Events may be full, cancelled or have changed times. Be sure to check or reach out to the venue before going.
The Holiday Outing Everyone Will Talk About
Make this holiday season unforgettable with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Theatre Aquarius!
Bursting with colour, spectacular music, dazzling costumes and an incredible local children's chorus, this Broadway musical is an experience the whole family will love.
Bring your family, friends, coworkers or community group and SAVE BIG!
Groups of 10–25: Save 15%
Groups of 26–49: Save 20%
Groups of 50+: Save 25%
With convenient 1:30 pm matinees and 7:00 pm evening performances, it's easy to plan your perfect group outing.
November 18 – January 3
Make memories together. Book your group today!
Box Office: 905.522.7529
Group discounts exclude Copper seats.
📆 DAY BY DAY VIBE
With Halloween falling on a Saturday, which isn’t happening again until 2037, the city is going all out this weekend with well over 70 organized Halloween themed events, with something for everyone.
Two local theatres are starting new productions on Friday with spooky themes. Hamilton Theatre has Evil Dead The Musical and Village Theatre in Waterdown has Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
Pooches can get in on spooky Saturday fun with Pug-O-Ween Grumble at Terra Waterdown, Dog Day Halloween! at Grain & Grit and a Canine Costume Pawty at Be Barkery & Cafe.
If you have ever marvelled and wanted to learn the moves from Thriller, the ultimate music video, then you will want to be at Gore Park on Saturday for the Thriller Flash Mob.
The Cotton Factory hosts Halloween Costume, Story and Painting Party on Saturday, for kids at 2.30 pm and adults at 7.30 pm.
All your favourite classic horror flicks are on this week at The Westdale and Playhouse so you can do the Time Warp or remember to Don’t Say His Name and take in everything gory and scary in between.
Get Spooky & Get Shopping Hamilton. Your City Is Calling
Hamilton Day: Halloween Edition takes over the city October 29 to November 1.
Enjoy live entertainment and concerts for all ages, walk, shop and eat your way through Hamilton’s neighbourhoods on a guided walking tour, and find exclusive weekend deals from local retailers, eateries and service providers.
It’s the ultimate weekend to celebrate the city we love and the small businesses that make it special.
Love local, shop local. Plan your weekend at hamiltonday.ca.
🍽 VIBE EATS
Vendors at the Hamilton Farmers Market are offering an array of plant based options for World Vegan Day on Saturday and the Gluten Free Goodness Expo returns to Ancaster Fairgrounds on Sunday.
💪 ACTIVE VIBE
Get out your cowbells for the Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope which kicks off on Saturday with the 1k, 5k and 10k races and the full and half marathons on Sunday.
The Feminist Bird Club hosts a bird count at Bayfront Park on Sunday morning.
🎭 VIBE ON STAGE
Vagabond Saints has a special Friday night Saints, Sinners & Stand-Up Comedy Show and the shock collar is back on Friday at Centre for Talking Arts for the Doug Pound Comedy Troupe Dog House of Horror.
Two short productions start next Thursday, Doubt: A Parable at St Luke’s Mission and Brothers Karamazov at The Staircase.
🌺 CULTURAL VIBE
Join Vanity Fair’s Mark Guiducci for far-reaching conversations with the most interesting characters from the worlds of Hollywood, Politics, Style, Silicon Valley, and beyond. It's all Fair Game.
A new speaker series starts on Tuesday at McMaster Museum of Art with the inaugural keynote talk from Patricia Bovey Art as the Fifth Pillar of Health and she follows that the next afternoon with Art Fraud: The Devastating Impacts and What Do We Do?.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton’s ART+MUSIC+FOOD Festival starts next Thursday and runs for 5 days.
🏅 VIBE TO WIN & CONNECT
If you think you know your city head down to the Tourism Hamilton office on Saturday or Sunday for Hamilton Trivia run by House of Adam & Steve.
Timberwood Throwing has started an Axe Throwing League on Wednesday evenings.
🎸 LIVE MUSIC VIBE & DANCING 🕺
Into the Abyss records are starting up their concerts again at The Back Hall with The Photocopiers, Public Health, Not a Band, No Beauty, and Cute on Friday and BRIAR with Eliza Niemi on Tuesday.
Bridgeworks has a Halloween Battle of the Bands on Saturday night.
No shortage of Halloween themed dance parties including Fruit Salad, Fur and Emo.
📡 UPCOMING VIBE
Halloween is not yet over but the Holidays are coming with the Hamilton Santa Claus Parade on November 14th, Flamborough on Nov 28th and Stoney Creek on December 5th already on the calendar.
Note: Events may be full, cancelled or have changed times. Be sure to check or reach out to the venue before going.
🔁 Looking for your favourite weekly or monthly event, like trivia, yoga, music jam, karaoke or open mic comedy show? We have them all in our Recurring Vibe.
🗓 Want to see your Hamilton, Ontario event included here? Please complete our Event Form here.
Any other questions? Get in touch [email protected]
Everything included in this newsletter is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. Sometimes, the links we include pay us a referral or sponsor fee, which helps us continue to publish The Vibe at no cost to you *indicates sponsored advertising content.
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