Friday is the first day of summer, and there’s lots to do around the Hamilton area in the weeks and months ahead. Here are some events not to miss:
June 21-23: FrancoFEST
Gage Park, Hamilton
Dance to francophone grooves all weekend at Gage Park at FrancoFEST, which features art, workshops and music from across the French-speaking world. Friday night’s concert is marking National Indigenous Peoples Day with music from rapper Samian and Afro-Indigenous duo Mi’gmafrica. Saturday has a focus on French music from around the world, while Sunday is a celebration of St. Jean Baptiste day.
Friday 5-10:30 p.m., Saturday noon-11 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
June 21-23: Festa Maria SS. Del Monte
Colbourne Street West and MacNab Street North, Hamilton
This festival dates back to 1503 and the story of an Italian count whose crew found a Virgin Mary statue in a cave in North Africa and brought it back to Italy. While passing through Racalmuto, either his cart got stuck or his oxen refused to keep going — depending on the telling — and there the statue stayed, being feted every year since in Racalmuto and more recently by Hamilton’s descendants of the Sicilian town.
In addition to a procession acting out the founding story, the event has food, live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, inflatables, petting zoo, popcorn and candy floss, and a Sunday night laser and pyrotechnic show.
June 22-23: The Uncloseted Comedy Festival
Staircase Theatre, Hamilton
Queer comics from throughout Canada and the United States take over the Staircase Theatre for the weekend, celebrating queer joy as part of Pride month. The festival’s headliner is Kyle Brownrigg, winner of the 2024 Juno Award for comedy album of the year, but there’s also trivia, a red carpet and plenty of other comedy shows over the weekend.
Saturday 4:30-11 p.m., Sunday 1-11 p.m.
June 29-July 1: It’s Your Festival
Gage Park, Hamilton
Sass Jordan, Big Sugar and the Jim Cuddy Band headline three days of concerts, food and activities at Gage Park during It’s Your Festival. The community-focused event features a wide swath of cultural acts as well, such as the Kostas Greek Music, Suzuran Odori Group of the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre Hamilton, the Six Nations Smoke Dancers, Philippine Islanders Cultural Association of Hamilton Dancers, Ghana Association Hospitality Group and School of Serbian Folklore.
Saturday 12-11 p.m., Sunday 12-11 p.m., Monday 12-11 p.m.
July 13-14: Hamilton AfroJazz Fest
Bayfront Park, Hamilton
This event “aims to showcase the beauty and diversity of African and Caribbean cultures through performing arts, music, [and] activities for kids.” It includes dance and percussion workshops, craft-making, face-painting and musicians including Dereck Ayum, Amadou Kienou, Faith Amour and Jonathan Nvita.
Saturday 12-9:30 p.m., Sunday 12-8 p.m.
July 21-23: Grand River Champion of Champions Powwow
Ohsweken Speedway, Six Nations of the Grand River
“Dancers and singers representing every major North American native cultural group dressed in their finest regalia are expected to attend” this year’s powwow at Six Nations, according to its website. “Prize money is given to those dancers and singers who will be deemed to be the most agile, astute and exciting.”
The event also features more than 100 craft vendors and more than 30 food vendors.
Gates open Friday 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m.
July 27-28: Fiesta Extravaganza
Bayfront Park, Hamilton
The local installment of a national series of Filipino festivals will showcase music, food, games, and small businesses at Bayfront Park.
Its website promises “non-stop entertainment and musical extravaganza, cultural presentation [and] exhibits,” as well as a “community spotlight of featured outstanding Filipinos in Canada, featured celebrities, and other performers.”
Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Aug. 1-2: Sex Workers’ Film and Arts Festival
Playhouse Cinema/Westdale Theatre, Hamilton
In this first-ever local festival, the 1986 film Working Girls will be on-screen at the Playhouse Cinema the first night, followed by a roster of independent sex worker-produced and sex worker-centric documentaries and films at the Westdale on the second night, including Our Bodies, Our Business.
Festival organizers are also seeking art submissions “by/for/about” sex work and sex workers.
Thursday (at Playhouse) 6-9 p.m., Friday (at Westdale) 6-10 p.m.
Aug. 2-4: Festival of Friends
Gage Park, Hamilton
This year’s edition of the long-running local festival is headlined by the Village People, War, the Crash Test Dummies and David Wilcox. Organizers are also teasing a mystery country-music headliner who will be announced July 6.
Friday 3:45-11 p.m., Saturday 12-11 p.m., Sunday 12-11 p.m.
Aug. 16-18: Hamilton Latino Festival
Gage Park, Hamilton
The Hamilton Latino Festival features live music, dance classes, art exhibitions, vendors and food.
Sept. 13-15: Supercrawl
James Street North, Hamilton
Downtown Hamilton’s quintessential street festival this year features headliners Matt Andersen, Rich Aucoin, Danko Jones, Explosions in the Sky and the Rural Alberta Advantage, as well as dozens of other acts, over three days.
The event will also see the return of post-industrial art rock performance troupe Squonk, with an interactive residency.