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Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
13 things to do in Hamilton this weekend
The city continues to buzz with events this weekend. Several highly-anticipated festivals are back, including Art Crawl and the Because Beer and Hamilton Food Truck festivals. There will be a mix of sun and cloud, with Environment Canada forecasting temperatures in the high 20s. There is also a chance of rain on Saturday night and Sunday. Down with Webster (Friday) and the Sheepdogs (Saturday) headline the Because Beer craft beer festival at Pier 4 Park ( 64 Leander Dr. ). Advance single-day tickets are $67.15 and advance weekend tickets are $111.38, both including fees and taxes. Visit for more. Gage Park ( 1000 Main St. E. ) will soon be the scene of another free summer festival featuring meals from 30 food trucks, children's games, tribute bands, cold beer and eating challenges. It runs Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. For more information, check out . James Street North will be filled with vendors and performances on Friday. Galleries, shops and restaurants will be open late. The festival closes James Street North between York Boulevard and Murray Street . Done shopping? Park Crawl is at Gore Park ( 1 Hughson St. S. ) from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, with a screening of 'Jumanji' at 9:30 p.m., as well as John Rebecca Park ( 76 John St. N. ), where there is a children's entertainment hub from 4 to 8 p.m. See for details. The Germania Club ( 863 King St. E. ) hosts Hamilton Pro Wrestling Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $22.63, including fees and taxes, on Eventbrite . Find out more at . Ooey Gooey's ( 107 George St. ) presents the Something Strange Sideshow on Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:45 p.m. The opening act is magician and 'unusualist' Poppa Jimbo. The show also features 'pain-proof people,' sword swallowers, fortune tellers, mind readers and an oddities market. Tickets are $24.76 on Eventbrite . The fourth annual Flamborough Book Fair and Outdoor Crafters Market is Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. at West Avenue Cider House ( 84 Concession Rd. 8 E. ). Meet Canadian authors and publishers, shop from vendors and taste cider. From 1 to 3 p.m., there will be a meet and greet and photo opportunities with Elsa from 'Frozen' and Superman. Explore the interactive children's space 'Sophia's Garden' at Dundurn Castle ( 610 York Blvd. ) on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3:30 p.m. The pop-up is inspired by excerpts from 'The Diary of Sophia MacNab,' in which Sophia describes playing in the kitchen garden, where the family grew fruits and vegetables. Families can explore plants, animals and insects and participate in hands-on activities. Visit for more. Historian Robin McKee is hosting a free, two-hour walking tour on Saturday at 11 a.m., commencing at the Hamilton Cemetery gatehouse ( 777 York Blvd. ). The week's theme is Art Crawl. More information at . The Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Ottawa Redblacks in Canadian Football League action at Hamilton Stadium ( 64 Melrose Ave. N. ) Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $31.07, including fees and taxes. Get them at . The Hamilton Cardinals face the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers in an Intercounty Baseball League game at Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium ( 1100 Mohawk Rd. E. ) Friday at 7:35 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $13.56, including fees and taxes, at . Calling all romance readers and writers. The Hamilton Public Library is hosting the first Steel Town Love festival at the central branch ( 55 York Blvd. ) on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Author Farah Heron leads a writing workshop at 11 a.m. before chatting with writer, author and teacher Uzma Jalaluddin at 1 p.m. Then, authors Jackie Lau, Kate Robb and Ellie K. Wilde take part in a panel discussion at 2 p.m., with author signings at 3 p.m. Starting at 11 a.m., there is also a 'meet-cute' market on the first floor, craft stations in the fourth-floor Makerspace, a green screen and time to lounge in the Hamilton Farmers' Market. Visit for details. A man pushes a cart with his purchases along Beach Boulevard for the annual community garage sale. The event returns on Sunday. An opportunity for social fun and thrifty finds is back with the Beach Boulevard annual garage sale on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale has run for decades and commonly attracts hundreds of shoppers. The monthly FARTS comedy show, featuring Carly Anna Billings, Jody Boston, Kit Simmons and more, returns to the Staircase Theatre ( 27 Dundurn St. N. ) Saturday. The event takes place in the venue's The Bright Room, starting at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $22.63 at . See for more. Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@ Error! 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CBC
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Artists pay tribute to rocker Joel Plaskett on surprise covers album
Some of the biggest names in Canadian music are paying homage to Joel Plaskett on a new tribute album that was made in secret — without the Halifax rocker's knowledge. The double album titled Songs from the Gang — A Celebration of Joel Plaskett features covers from 22 artists including Sloan, the Sheepdogs, the Arkells, Mo Kenney, Alan Syliboy and Jenn Grant. It was all kept confidential before being revealed to Plaskett earlier this week at Ditch Records and CDs in Victoria, B.C., where he and his family were visiting. "There was this poster on the wall of this picture of me … and I kind of looked at it and I was like, I don't recognize this poster, and then I saw this vinyl beside it," he told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia. "Then we went to a studio out here to listen to the whole thing and just listening to all these folks singing these songs, singing my tunes, a lot of friends, it's really something else. I was laughing and kinda crying at the same time." The tribute was in part an early birthday present for Plaskett, who turns 50 on April 18. He said the artists featured on the album are his friends and colleagues, and to hear it for the first time and have it released within the span of a few days is somewhat mind-boggling. "I can't fully express what it means other than just to say a huge thank you to everybody involved," he said. "It's really something else." Plaskett's career spans more than three decades, beginning in the 1990s with his band Thrush Hermit. He later embarked on an illustrious solo career, releasing 17 albums under his name and with his band the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Known in the industry as a nice guy with a warm heart, Plaskett has in more recent years worn a producer's hat, making records in his studio Fang Recording in Dartmouth, N.S., even working with some of the artists featured on the tribute album. From Alan Syliboy's Mi'kmaw-inspired and drum-driven version of Nowhere With You to the lively harmonies of Reeny Smith, Haliey Smith and Micah Smith on Wishful Thinking, each artist puts their own spin on the Plaskett classics. Legendary rockers Sloan covered I Love This Town, a song oozing with references to Halifax culture, landmarks and inside jokes. The band's Chris Murphy said they hearkened back to the early days of Sloan for their rendition to give it more of a grunge feel. Murphy is a longtime friend of Plaskett and recalls discussing music and life after closing out the bars in Halifax in the 1990s. "He lived in the same neighbourhood as me, so when he started going downtown, he would drive me home and we would have these long conversations that would start at 2:30 in the morning," Murphy told CBC's Q with Tom Power. "Just like a romantic hang talking about nothing at a time when we both had nothing but time. I really romanticize those talks." Plaskett said it was Sloan that first gave Thrush Hermit a boost by bringing them on the road. There's even a nod to Sloan in the song they chose to cover, Plaskett noted, when he sings, "If you saw my band in the early days, then you'll understand why we moved away," referring to Sloan's decision to leave Halifax and move to Toronto later in their career. "To hear them singing it, I mean the whole thing, I'm kind of floored and my heart is really full," he said. "It's an incredible birthday gift."
