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❄️ Ice Rink | Thu 4th - Sun 21st 10:00am - 10:00pm at Claudelands. Whether you’re gliding like a pro or stepping onto the ice for the first time, grab your friends and family and make this Christmas unforgettable. Tickets.  

Big Band Spectacular play Frank & Ella | Fri 5th 7:30pm at Gallagher Academy. Join for a spectacular evening featuring the timeless music of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald with an award-winning band of 20 young musicians. Tickets.  

🎄 Xmas Market | Sat 6th 9:00am - 1:00pm at The Riverbank Lane. Join for a special festive market with pop up stalls, gospel choir performances, special eats, kids activities and more! Info. 

Extravaganza in the Park Christmas Market | Sat 6th 9:00am - 2:00pm at Elliot Park. Do your Christmas shopping from over 140+ stalls alongside live music and entertainment, pony rides, face painting, delicious food and more! Info.  

Twilight Market | Sat 6th 4:00 - 8:00pm at St Stephen's Anglican Church. Join a range of Christmas festive activities running from December 1st to the 20th including a twilight market. Info.  

✨ Temple View Christmas Lights | Sat 6th - Thu 25th 8:15pm at Legacy Park and Temple Grounds. The Temple View Christmas Lights will light up Hamilton’s night sky once again this festive season with nearly 70,000 lights. Info.  

First Credit Union Christmas Parade | Sun 7th 2:00pm at Hamilton Central. Celebrate the season with Jingles and his merry crew as they jingle all the way down Anglesea Street in the legendary First Credit Union Christmas Parade! Info.  

Sounds of Splendour | Sun 7th 5:00pm at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Experience the magic of the season with SOUNDS OF SPLENDOUR — a Christmas concert of classical and living composers, presented by the Hamilton Civic Choir! Tickets. 

🎾 Bayleys Open | Mon 8th - Sun 14th 11:00am - 7:30pm at Waikato Tennis Centre. The Bayleys Open is a brand new free event on the ITF World Tennis Tour. The tournament will showcase some of the best rising stars in international tennis. Info.  

Low Waste Christmas Workshops | Wed 10th 10:30am at Rototuna Library. Come along to a free workshop and learn helpful tips and tricks to be more sustainable during Christmas, create a DIY present you can give to a loved one, enjoy light refreshments and be in to win spot prizes. Register.  

🌲 Trees at the Meteor | Wed 10th - Fri 19th at The Meteor. Fire up the hot glue gun, mix up your paint pots, and sharpen your scissors, because Trees at The Meteor is back and celebrating its 19th birthday! Info.  

Popsicle Christmas Trees | Thu 11th 3:30pm at Hillcrest Library, Hamilton Gardens. Wind your way through popsicle sticks and build your own miniature woven Christmas tree that will charm everyone. Register.  

Tim Batt Tests Himself | Thu 11th 7:30pm at Nivara Lounge. See Tim as he builds a new hour of comedy for the Aus/NZ comedy festival circuit taking on fatherhood, fascism and being F'ed off at the scam-ifacation of everyday life. Tickets.  

Speed Dating Night | Fri 12th 7:00pm at Biddy Mulligans. Get ready for a night of fun and connection at Hamilton's hottest speed dating event! Let’s ditch the apps and embrace real connections. For ages 26 - 44. Tickets. 

🎅 Christmas Quiz Night Fundraiser | Fri 12th 7:00 - 10:00pm at The Meteor. The Meteor fam return for another night of brain baffling boffin-ry. Gather your team and test yourselves on a range of knowledge! Tickets. 

NZSO Presents: Summer Brass | Fri 12th 7:30pm at Gallagher Academy. Internationally acclaimed musician and conductor Gail Williams joins the NZSO Brass and Percussion for a celebration of all things Brass! Tickets.  

🎶 The Trifecta | Fri 12th 8:00pm at Nivara Lounge. Three great bands, playing their own brand of indie/alternative pop/rock. False Waltons, Bobby Holidays and Changing Same. Tickets.  

The Christmas Tree Mystery | Sat 13th - Sun 21st at The Meteor. Apocalypse Lounge Room Break returns to the Meteor with a new pop-up escape room: ‘The Christmas Tree Mystery’. If your workplace or friends are looking for an end of year experience that’s a little outside the box, this might be for you. Tickets.  

🧺 Christmas at the Lake | Sat 13th 5:30 - 9:45pm at Innes Common. Get ready for a free, fun-filled day bursting with colour, dance, music, and joy! From 10 dazzling dance groups, 2 incredible music groups, Santa Claus, face painting, rides, food stalls and more, you won’t want to miss out. Info.  

DFX Presents The Carnival | Saturday and Sunday at Claudelands. Experience the amazing talent of DFX with vibrant music, dazzling costumes, and entertaining performances that will leave you inspired! Tickets.  

🎤 A Tribute to the Eras of Taylor Swift Music | Sat 13th 7:00pm at Clarence St Theatre.  Join to salute 'Tay Tay' and the indelible impact she's had on Pop music with this joyous, effervescent concert experience, complete with sparkly costumes, cosmic stage production and over 20 exquisite renditions of Taylor's biggest hits. Tickets.  

Last Place Xmas | Sat 13th 8:00pm at Last Place. Come to an evening of festive frivolity featuring Speed Dating, Finn Johansson and Band, and Hans Blix. Tickets.

🎁 Christmas Creative Market | Sun 14th 8:00am - 12:00pm at The Barn, Claudelands. You'll enjoy a vibrant farmers' market environment and be inspired by local makers from the region that love to create and sell. Perfect opportunity to support and buy local Christmas gifts! Info. 

To The Stars | Mon 19th - Wed 21st January 5:30pm at Waikato Regional Theatre. The much-anticipated opening of the Waikato Regional Theatre in Hamilton will be marked by a world premiere performance, To The Stars / Ki Ngā Whetū, an original stage production that celebrates the people, places, and creative spirit of the Waikato region. Tickets.  

🤣 Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny | Tue 27th January 8:00pm at Claudelands. If you like fast-paced, edgy one-liners then get ready to be happy. Jimmy Carr is back on tour with his brand-new show ‘Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny’. Tickets.  

Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Tue 3rd February 7:30pm at Waikato Regional Theatre. British chart-topper Sophie Ellis-Bextor is heading to Aotearoa. Don’t miss her signature disco-pop shine in Hamilton. Tickets.  

🏉 Fiji Hamilton Sevens NZ | Fri 6th - Sat 7th February 8:00am at FMG Stadium. FMG Stadium Waikato is set to host an unmissable weekend of non-stop rugby action in the heart of Hamilton. Tickets.  

Frankton McDonald’s Colour Run | Sun 15th February 10:00am at Innes Common. Help raise funds for kiwi families needing a home away from home, while their child is in hospital. Tickets. 

Indigenous All Stars v Māori All Stars | Sun 15th February at FMG Stadium. The All Stars matches will be held at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Sunday, February 15, featuring women’s and men’s Māori and Indigenous teams, along with the Māori and Indigenous Touch Football teams. Info. 

🌈 Hamilton Arts Festival | Fri 20th February - Sun 1st March at Hamilton Gardens. This annual festival showcases the best of Waikato’s performing artists alongside a curated selection of some of the most compelling shows from across the country and abroad. Check out the 2026 line up.

WHITE FERNS v Zimbabwe | Wed 25th and Fri 27th February, Sun 1st March at Seddon Park. The WHITE FERNS face Zimbabwe in a thrilling summer showdown. Info.  

Super Rugby Pacific - Gallagher Chiefs vs Moana Pasifika | Fri 6th March 7:05pm at FMG Stadium. The Gallagher Chiefs are ready to take on Moana Pasifika in a regular-season matchup at home! Info. 

Jim Beam Homegrown 2026 | Sat 14th March at Claudelands. Join for a day packed with electrifying performances across multiple stages, showcasing the best of Aotearoa's music scene. Tickets. 

Hamilton’s annual Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa is set to deliver another multi-million-dollar boost to the local economy early next year. Last year’s festival generated a record $11.1 million, and director Geoff Turkington says this year’s line-up is on track to match or exceed that figure. Read.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, with the switch officially flicked on Hamilton’s giant tree. On Saturday night, crowds gathered in Garden Place to watch New Zealand’s tallest Christmas tree light up, a start to Christmas festivities for the city. Read.

Hamilton’s new mayor Tim Macindoe has warned of tough times ahead as the city prepares for the Government’s upcoming rates cap. He said managing rates in New Zealand’s fastest-growing city will take “incredibly hard” work, following the Government announcement it will cap rates rises throughout the country by 2029, limiting increases to 4% per year. Read.

Hamilton’s newest sculpture may be small, but it has a big message: people are stronger when they work together. Designed by internationally renowned New Zealand artist Francis Upritchard, ‘Rock’ drew a crowd at its official unveiling at its new home in Hayes Paddock Reserve. Read.

A century-old American staircase, likely ascended by Queen Elizabeth II, is the crowning glory for the builders of the Waikato Regional Theatre. Salvaged from the former Hamilton Hotel, the 102-year-old piece sits among several heritage elements that have been woven into the theatre’s design. Read.

The first tickets for ZURU Nightglow 2026 were released on Wednesday morning, with more free drops (up to eight tickets per person) happening over the next two months. The other ticket release times are 8pm Wed 10 Dec; 4pm Wed 14 Jan; 9am Sun 18 Jan; 1pm Fri 30 Jan; 10pm Mon 2 Feb; 5am Tue 10 Feb and 2pm Sat 21 Feb. Read.

That’s it for today!

As always, please direct reply to this email if you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in future editions of Hello Hamilton. I’d love to hear from you - I read and reply to every email.

See you next week!

— Ben and Sarah