As a native Hamiltonian, I have heard of the Supercrawl, but have never really gone to it. This year was the year that I would go ‘downtown’ to experience this annual cultural event for art, music, dance and theatre.
From it’s humble beginnings, the Supercrawl has rocketed to the forefront of the Hamilton cultural landscape. Voted ‘Festival of the Year’ by Hamilton’s Music scene, it originally drew inspiration from the monthly Artcrawl, that showcases the wonderfully eclectic neighbourhood – James Street North.
As I walked the strip, my senses were overwhelmed with loud music, impromtu giggles as citizens interacted with pop-up installations and food trucks with exotic scents of colourful dishes from around the world.
What I most enjoyed about the evening was seeing a diverse set of individuals flock to this event and open up to ‘art’ and all its facets. I was also shocked to see what was vacant plots of land now being turned into condominiums and mixed-use buildings.
As this event continues to grow each year, it’s popularity is reaching to more regional recognition with Juno Award-winning bands flocking the stage, international artists promoting new work and local designers seeing it as a launching pad for visibility. Hamilton is definitely not the steel working town it used to be…art is the new steel in this city.
Richelle Sibolboro 