Phewww it’s been hot! Beautiful weather to visit some of Hamilton’s lovely parks and find a shady spot, chill out by the Waikato awa with a picnic, or head out to Raglan for a dip. How lucky are we?

Have you ordered a Hello Hamilton Card? Yeah? Well get excited, because we’re beginning to deliver them from this weekend. Keep an eye out! Last chance to grab one here >

As always, there’s heeeeaps on in the Tron this week. Including a new dinner club! More on that below, along with events and news. First time here? I’m Ben from Pukete 👋🏼 Join 10,000+ Hamiltonians here, and check us out on Instagram and Facebook.

You wanted it, so here it is — the Hello Hamilton Dinner Club has arrived. It’s time to gather around the table, meet some neighbours, and discover new food spots while having a good ol’ time.

Here’s how it works:

The Logistics: The booking fee is $12 per seat, you pay for your own meal at the end of dinner, and I’ll put it all together - from the quiz, to matching, to the reservations, and sending reminders. All you gotta do is show up, meet some new friends, and have some fun.

Christmas Late Night | Thu 11th 5:00 - 8:00pm at Made. It's late night every Thursday in December until Christmas. Roam the centre, complete your shopping and find the bar. Let the choir or saxophone performances evoke your Christmas spirit! Head along.  

🤣 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. Go have a laugh.  

Learn to Sew Bunting | Fri 12th 10:00am at Rototuna Library. Learn how to sew decorative bunting for this festive season or a theme of your choice! Give it a go.  

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 to love?  

🎄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! Get amongst it. 

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! Listen to some tunes.  

🎶 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. More great music.  

Fair Share Market | Sat 13th 9:00am - 12:00pm at Western Community Centre. Join for crop swap, craft swap and repair co-op. Check out the local bits and pieces.  

🧶 Tamahere Lions Best Artisan Market | Sat 13th 9:00am - 1:00pm at Tamahere Community Hall. Over 40 indoor and outdoor stalls selling food, coffee, art, craft, gifts, wood and garden items and more. This week is Christmas themed with raffles, treat hunt and more! Another market, it‘s a goodie!

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. This one is unique - grab tickets.  

💿 Hamilton Vintage Market: Xmas Edition | Sat 13th 11:00am - 3:00pm at Claudelands. Explore over 30 stalls featuring vintage clothing, Y2K streetwear, collectibles, comics, kicks, vinyl records, toys, jewellery, upcycled fashion and more. Check out the vintage buys.  

Heavy Nu Year | Sat 13th 4:00pm at MCA Centre. Hamtown Smakdown & Crunch present Heavy Nu Year, end of the year hardcore punk and metal. Ticket for you here!  

🎅 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. A Hamilton tradition!

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! This is a cool one! 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. Get swifty.  

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 for this good one.

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 our region that love to create and sell. Perfect opportunity to support and buy local Christmas gifts! We love markets in Hamilton!

CaliLou’s Tattoos Flash Day | Sun 14th 11:00am at 318 Grey Street. CaliLou’s Tattoos is hosting an epic flash tattoo event with a selection of cute, spicy, weird, and wonderful tattoo designs ready to go. Get the info.  

Sangaman | Sun 14th 6:00pm at Clarence St Theatre. The "Sangamam 2025" NZ Tour featuring the legendary singer Srinivas & Sharanya Srinivas is proudly brought to life by Moksha Base. Tickets here.  

Crochet Christmas Decorations | Mon 15th 2:00pm at Hillcrest Library, Hamilton Gardens. Join a festive crochet workshop where you will learn to make gorgeous snowflakes, hearts, stars or baubles ready to hang and decorate your home (or work) space. Get crafty - register.  

Crafty Christmas Creations | Tue 16th 3:30pm at Glenview Library. Get your glue guns ready and your tinsel tangled! Join for a holly-jolly crafting session where glitter meets giggles and creativity takes centre stage. More crafts!

🍷 Paint and Wine Night  –  Kākāpō | Tue 16th 7:00pm at Good Neighbour. Join for a creative night of drinking and painting in the heart of Hamilton! Bring some friends - tickets.  

Chartwell Movie Night - Tintin | Thu 18th 6:00pm at Chartwell Library. Go on an adventure with a boy and his dog to discover the secrets of a shipwreck. Popcorn will be provided. Feel free to bring your own kai and drinks. Love a movie night!  

🎵 Carols in the City | Fri 19th 5:00pm at Garden Place. Get ready to celebrate the festive season with Carols in the City — a magical evening filled with live entertainment, delicious food, and the Christmas spirit right in the heart of Hamilton! Fa la la la la.  

Final Impact | Friday and Saturday 8:00pm at Clarence St Theatre. Final Impact bursts back onto the stage for one last dazzling celebration, marking the grand finale of this beloved cabaret dance series. Tickets heres.  

🏃‍♂️ Hamilton Lake Parkrun - Grinches Christmas | Sat 20th 8:00am at Hamilton Lake. Christmas, just isn't Christmas without a bit of Grinching. Support your favourite, wear green if you think you are a Grinch or wear red if you are all about Santa. Get your running shoes on.  

Pleasure P – “A Night of Pleasure” | Sat 20th 7:00pm at The Factory. Performing his timeless solo hits and Pretty Ricky anthems live, this is the ultimate throwback for R&B; lovers — an intimate concert experience filled with passion, rhythm, and connection. Tickets for some tunes. 

The Greatest Christmas Show | Sun 21st 4:00 - 6:00pm at Clarence St Theatre. The Greatest Christmas Show is New Zealand’s #1 family Christmas event, blending heartwarming moments, spectacular magic, and world-class entertainment into one unforgettable night. Why not! Tickets.  

☀️ The warm start to summer looks set to stick around for most of the week. MetService says Hamilton temperatures will be in the high 20s this week while Earth Sciences NZ is predicting dry spells for the region this month. Read.

💦 With a sticky summer on the way, Hamilton City Council is reminding residents to be smart about their water use. La Niña conditions is expected to bring more humidity, and while the city has made significant upgrades to its treatment plant, Hamiltonians still need to be mindful of how much water they use. Read.

🩺 Waikato University’s new medical school is a step closer, with Luxon visiting campus for a sod-turning ceremony to launch construction. The new building is set for completion in December 2027, marking what the Prime Minister called a “proud and exciting moment” for long-time supporters of the project. Read.

🇦🇺 Kiwis leaving for Australia as fewer migrants arrive to take their place could be behind a sudden glut of empty rental properties that’s started to push rents down. New rental listings across Waikato hit a record high in November, up 12.3% on the year earlier. Read.

🏝️ Work at a popular Hamilton East beach is on pause until next year so Hamiltonians can cool off over summer. The beach will reopen on 16 December after high river levels delayed bank-stabilisation works, with contractors set to resume the revamp once the peak swimming season ends. Read.

🎭 An award-winning theatre production celebrating the poems and poetry of the pacific is coming to the Waikato Regional Theatre in February. Upu brings together work by renowned writers such as Albert Wendt, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Hone Tuwhare, Tusiata Avia and Ben Brown. Read.

Boom! That’s all 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.

See you next week!

— Ben and Sarah