Hamilton Happenings: August 2011

Wow! I can't believe I'm posting the August edition of Hamilton Happenings. Time is flying this summer, so get out there and enjoy it while you can. Hamilton is making it easy for you with (free) festivals, fairs and street parties nearly every single weekend this month. Woo!

Festival of Friends: Aug. 5-7 / Ancaster Fairgrounds / There was much hullabaloo over moving this festival from it's traditional Gage Park location all the way up and over to Ancaster. Not to fear, downtown dwellers, there will be free express shuttles leaving from the McNab terminal every 20 minutes. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how they use the new space and of course the hot Friday night concert lineup featuring Sheepdogs (of recent Jimmy Fallon fame) and City and Colour.

Beehive Craft Fair: Aug. 12-13 / 118 James St. North / As if you haven't heard enough from me about this craft fair already, here I am pushing it again. I can't help it — I'm super excited (and super nervous)! There will be over 20 other talented craftspeople there in addition to Dear Edna, as well as an art installation by Amanda McCavour and DJ set by Donna Lovejoy. It kicks off during the James North Art Crawl, so after you say hello to us, you can peruse the many other galleries and shops that keep their doors open late that night. Sounds like a plan to me!

Augusta Block Party: Aug. 13 / 12-1 / Augusta Street / This little street lined with pubs and patios is my favourite place to grab a pint or a bite to eat in the city. It helps that it's right around the corner from me. Despite my slight bias, it's no lie that they threw an amazing party last year that had us dancing both in our seats and in the streets and I'm excited to check it out again this year... perhaps in celebration of surviving my first craft show?!

Dundas Cactus Festival: Aug. 19-23 / "The unofficial ‘homecoming’ event for any and all who have lived in the community... the festival runs for 3 days and includes 3 entertainment stages, event zones and over 100 street vendors."


Photo by Liam O'Connor