I’ve been across the ditch this week in Melbourne, so I’ll leave this one to Sarah to give you the low down! Have a great week.

First time here? I’m Ben from Pukete 👋🏼 Join 10,000+ Hamiltonians here.

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Out of the Wings | Fri 13th Feb - Fri 27th March 9:30am at The Meteor. Every Friday come to Meteor’s new drop-in theatre group for the youngest actors, 18 months to 5 years. Learn how to roar like a dragon, pounce like a cat and whinny like a unicorn! Tickets.  

Galentine’s Tattoo Flash Day | Fri 13th 11:00am - 7:00pm at CaliLou’s Tattoos. This Galentine's day is dedicated to the girls, gays and theys! Join the Tattoo Barbies for the ultimate Friday the 13th. Info.  

🍷 Twilight Wine and Cheese Event | Fri 13th 5:00 - 9:00pm at The Sculpture Park. Great food, music and a perfect location is on the menu. Tickets.  

Live Music, Meditation, Yoga Wisdom & Delicous Feast | Fri 13th 6:00pm at Mantra Lounge. Join at the meditation centre for an uplifting experience featuring all-you-can-eat vegan food, live mantra music meditation, and inspiring yoga wisdom. Tickets. 

🎡 The Extravaganza Fair | Saturday and Sunday 9:00am at Claudelands Park. New Zealand’s biggest and most fabulous traveling fair is rolling back into town, with unique market stalls, street food, kids' rides, circus, live music and more! Info.  

Valentines Day Flash Day | Sat 14th 10:00am at Paradiso Tattoos. Whether you like valentines or anti it, Paradiso Tattoos have got some cool designs for you! Come have some fun walk-ins, all day, no bookings required! Info.  

🇵🇭 Filipino Market | Sat 14th 11:00am - 3:00pm at The Barn, Claudelands. Filipino Market NZ brings together the best of Filipino cuisine and culture from across Aotearoa. Enjoy a vibrant mix of food trucks, hot food vendors, bakers, and drinks merchants serving favourites from home. Info.  

Porritt Classic | Sat 14th 11:00am - 7:30pm at Porritt Stadium. Porritt Classic 2026 will be one of the premier track & field events of 2026 in New Zealand. It is a World Athletics National Permit Meeting and will feature Athletics NZ Permit Events. Info. 

🏅 On Parade | Sat 14th 3:00pm at Waikato Artillery Museum. Don't miss the Band's first visit to its excellent companion Museum - playing a full concert of military and popular music for all ages. Tickets.  

Tradition in Action | Sat 14th 4:00pm at Hamilton Ramayan Sansthan. Chinmaya Mission is bringing a fun, family-friendly workshop to Hamilton where children and parents learn to practice spirituality and Indian traditions together in daily life. Tickets.  

👀 Escapist Singles Night | Sat 14th 6:00pm at Escapist Escape Rooms. Single this Valentines? Join for a fun night of laughter and connection through board gaming. Recommended age 23 - 49 years old. Tickets.  

🎶 Bridge City Fight Music | Sat 14th 8:00pm at Last Place. Featuring Wellington heavy hitters Shuriken, Cease and desist, Nuclear Blunt hailing from the 07 and the Auckland’s finest metal core Hunter. Tickets.  

Danny Bhoy: Dear World | Sat 14th 8:00pm at Heaphy Room, Claudelands. Dear World is a hybrid of stand up and theatre, but really that just means Danny gets to sit down for bits of it. Tickets.  

🎷 Toby Barrett Quartet 'Catharsis' Album Launch | Sat 14th 8:30pm at Nivara Lounge. Toby Barrett is a saxophonist and composer who is highly regarded in both the New Zealand and Melbourne jazz scenes. Tickets.  

Family Village Mornings | Sun 15th 10:00am at The Village Cafe. A monthly hour of calm, coffee, and community. Village Mornings are the monthly coffee mornings created for parents who just need… a moment. Tickets.  

🌈 Frankton McDonald's Colour Run | Sun 15th 10:00am - 2:00pm at Innes Common. Join for a fun, feel-good day out raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities NZ. Includes food trucks, coffee, face painting, photo booth, live music and more! Tickets.  

Chinese New Year Storytime | Sun 15th 10:30am at Rototuna Library. Join at the library to celebrate Chinese New Year! Perfect for parents and children aged 2-7. Info.  

🏉 2026 NRL Harvey Norman All Stars | Sun 15th 2:25 - 7:00pm at FMG Stadium. Watch the best of the best showcase unrivalled skill and passion in a game that honours Māori, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Tickets.  

Earth Tongue - Dungeon Vision | Sun 15th 7:00pm at Last Place. Fresh off the announcement of their forthcoming third album Dungeon Vision, Aotearoa’s heavy-psych duo Earth Tongue return home this February for a run of six album release shows across the country. Tickets. 

Business Masterclass - Digital Marketing & Content Creation | Tue 17th 10:00am at The Long Room. This practical two-hour masterclass is designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to build confidence with digital marketing and create content that works harder for their business. Tickets.  

Prima Facie | Wed 18th 11:00am at Clarence St Theatre. Acclaimed Oliver and Tony award-winning play, Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie is an unforgettable story and one-woman tour de force that has the power to question the structure of the legal system. Tickets.  

🔥 Australia's Thunder From Down Under | Thu 19th 7:30pm at Clarence St Theatre. Hold onto your hats, Hamilton! Australia’s Thunder from Down Under is hitting the road, and they’re packing more heat than a scorching Aussie summer! Tickets.  

🎵 Push Push | Thu 19th 7:30pm at Last Place. Push Push hit the stage this summer to celebrate 35 Years of Trippin’ and their brand new EP out in February. Tickets.  

Captain Morrow and the Sands of Time | Fri 20th - Sun 22nd at Modernist Garden, Hamilton Gardens. Directed by Barnie Duncan and showing in Kirikiriroa for the first time, this absurdist, fast-paced show is perfect for comedy fans and theatre-goers alike. Tickets.  

🤣 Blake Pavey: Live | Fri 20th 7:30pm at The Meteor. After racking up over a million followers online and making audiences across the globe laugh until they cry, Blake Pavey is hitting New Zealand with his brand new hour of stand-up! Tickets. 

😲 Dirty Laundry | Friday and Saturday 8:30pm at Hamilton Gardens Pavilion. After nearly 20 years of selling out festivals around the world, the Briefs boys finally are coming to Hamilton - hills hoist at the ready - to air their Dirty Laundry in a high-energy party cabaret. Tickets.  

🍄‍🟫 Mega Crop Swap | Sat 21st 11:00am - 12.30pm at Garden Place. Celebrate community resilience and food sharing! The vision is to bring together gardeners, growers, neighbors, and  friends to swap extra produce, seeds, plants, baking, jams, preserves, and gardening wisdom. Info.  

Hamilton Record Fair | Sat 21st 11:00am - 3:00pm at Glenview Community Centre. Records, tapes and CDs, all sorts, all sizes, all styles. Vendors from Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Waikato and BOP. Info.  

He Piko He Taniwha | Sat 21st February - Sun 1st March at The Riverside, Hamilton Gardens. This immersive story-telling experience shares cultural narratives, waiata and ceremonial practices relating to the Waikato River and the Hamilton Gardens. Tickets.  

Miss Brontë | Saturday and Sunday 4:00pm at Chinoiserie Garden, Hamilton Gardens. Inspired by the letters and novels of Charlotte Brontë, Miss Brontë tells a story of ambition, forbidden love and the bond of family. Tickets.  

Rhys Mathewson 10th Rodeo | Sat 21st 5:00pm at Medici Court, Hamilton Gardens. After five years of sobriety, Rhys Mathewson started to relapse. Now, in front of an audience of strangers, he’s ready to share exactly what happened… Tickets.  

Much Ado About Nothing  | Saturday and Sunday at Rogers Rose Garden. The iconic Summer Shakespeare is back. A war of words between Signor Benedick and Lady Beatrice threatens to steal the stage, while young lovers Hero and Claudio find their romance tested by scandalous deception. Info.  

👯‍♂️ Dance of Angels - Journey to the Heaven | Sat 21st 6:30pm at Gallagher Academy. Dance of Angels – Journey to the Heaven is a signature concert by Dancing Angels New Zealand, presented as a celebration of cultural heritage, artistry, and spiritual expression. Tickets.   

Speed is Emotional | Saturday and Sunday at The Meteor. ADHD – it’s so hot right now! Pōneke’s creative powerhouse Jo Randerson (ONZM) unpacks their diagnosis, neurodivergent parenting, sad songs, men taking their time, and so much more in this highly lauded “funny as hell” theatre extravaganza. Tickets.  

🎼 Sunset Symphony | Sat 21st 7:20pm at Rhododendron Lawn, Hamilton Gardens. Experience symphonic favourites from the likes of Tchaikovsky, alongside dance numbers spanning culture and history - from latin dance to music from The Lord of the Rings - all against the backdrop of a stunning Rhododendron Lawn sunset. Info.

🐕 Beagle Walk in Hamilton | Sun 22nd 10:00am - 12:00pm at Taitua Arboretum. Join the Auckland Beagle Club for a peaceful walk through lovely mature trees and lakes with birdlife. Info.  

All the Things I Wish I Could Be | Sun 22nd 11:00am and 2:30pm at The Pavillion, Hamilton Gardens. Blast off with All The Things I Wish I Could Be - a wild musical adventure about two loveable dads dreaming of becoming everything from All Blacks to ballerinas, and mad monkeys to silly monsters. Tickets.    

The Voice of Vision | Sun 22nd 6:30pm at Rhododendron Lawn, Hamilton Gardens. Blending world-championship-winning hip-hop and street dance styles with immersive choreography, The Voice of Vision is a bold exploration of the unseen forces that shape movement and creation. Tickets.  

The 2026 NRL Harvey Norman All Stars will be more than just a game-day spectacle, with a full programme of community events across Hamilton in the lead-up to kick-off. Ahead of the blockbuster clashes at FMG Stadium Waikato on Sunday, February 15, players will take part in activities designed to connect with whānau, rangatahi and the wider community. Read.

Down a quiet Matangi lane, Brittany Stembridge is using regenerative practices at Tomtit Farm to feed both the community and the soil. What began in 2019 as a few vege boxes and a front-gate stall has grown into a thriving one-hectare market garden and pick-your-own flower field filled with seasonal vegetables and blooms. Read.

Hamilton’s CBD retail vacancy rate has fallen for the first time in three years, dropping from 10.9% in June 2025 to 10.5% in December. NAI Harcourts Hamilton managing director Mike Neale says the downward trend is expected to continue into 2026. Read.

Two large reservoirs are planned at Hamilton Lake Domain, a move that would see green space make way for infrastructure and has drawn opposition from some locals. The reclassification of about 14,810m² of land at Ruakiwi Road is required to enable the 25-million-litre reservoirs, planned to support the city’s growing population and ensure a reliable drinking water supply. Read.

Hamilton East’s iconic Books for Kids is on the market after owner Megan Lindsay decided it’s time to call it a day. Lindsay, who has run the colourful Grey St store for eight years, says at 66 she has “some living to do” and is ready to close the book on this chapter. Read.

Thanks for reading Hello Hamilton 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’m all ears!

— Ben and Sarah