👋🏼 Hello Hamilton

It’s that time of the week again! And guess what? It’s Boon Street Art Festival week!

I’m Ben from Hamilton East 👋🏼 and today we’re covering the best things happening in Hamilton, some live music to check out over the weekend, and news headlines you can’t miss. First time reading? Join over 5,200 Hamiltonians here.

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🎟️ Events on in the Tron this week

Luck of the Irish Quiz Night | Thursday 13th 6:30-9:30pm at The Keg Room. Get ready for a week full of Irish cheer, craic, and good times! Book.

Boon X Hayes Common Silent Disco | Friday 14th 6:30-7:30am at Hayes Common. Love to dance? Join an early morning boogie in the park and dance like no ones watching! Book.

Basic Money Skills Workshop | Friday 14th 10:00am-12:00pm at Western Community Centre. This session will help you understand how to budget, track your spending, and make your money go further. Info.

Escapist Board Game Club | Friday 14th 6:00-9:00pm at Escapists. Come join every Friday from 6pm for a board game night and some chats. This is an open gaming night - mix and mingle or bring your own friends, your choice. Info.

Paint and Sip at The Cook | Friday 14th from 7:30pm at The Cook. Enjoying the mezzanine space at the Cook, live music, Friday vibes and perhaps a glass in hand, this is designed to gain creative confidence while letting the weeks stresses melt away. Tickets.

Hamilton Collectables Market | Saturday 15th 8:30am-1:30pm at Claudelands Gate 3. With hundreds of interesting items for sale and friendly stallholders, a great way to spend a Saturday and support local vendors. Info.

Brya Rose ‘Street Art Decks’ workshop | Saturday 15th 10:00am-12:00pm in Frankton. Love street art and skate culture? Bring a friend along to this exciting graffiti-inspired workshop, part of the Boon Street Art Festival! Tickets.

Hamilton Basketball Competition | Saturday 15th 12:00-5:00pm at Odlin Park. For all ages, $200 prize, half court. Register.

End of summer Rosé party | Saturday 15th 12:00-5:00pm at Mr. Pickles. Drink rosé, have good times, and party on the terrace. Book.

Walk-Thru Hot Air Balloon | Saturday 15th at 1:00pm in Garden Place. Visit Garden Place for an amazing experience walking inside a real hot air balloon for a donation. Info.

Boon Street Art Festival 10th Birthday Party | Saturday 15th 3:00-8:00pm in Lovegrove Lane in Ham East. Family-friendly event with food trucks, face painting, creative markets, and live music. Info.

Gallagher Chiefs vs Blues & Chiefs Manawa v Hurricanes Poua | Saturday 15th with first kick off 4:35pm at FMG Stadium. The Chiefs Manawa and Gallagher Chiefs are fired up to defend their home turf and show the Poua and the Blues why they’re the pride of Chiefs Country. Tickets.

Rhys Mathewson and Josh Thomson Tell Jokes | Saturday 15th 7:30-9:00pm at The Meteor. Two of NZ’s funniest guys are headed to Hamilton for one night only to do what they do best – tell jokes. Tickets.

Help paint a mural with Alice Alva | Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-3:00pm in Lovegrove Lane in Ham East. Info.

Hamilton Half Marathon | Sunday 16th 8:00am-12:00pm from Hamilton Gardens. Riverside running along the banks of the Waikato River, winding through parks, landmarks and historic neighbourhoods. ​21KM half marathon, 10KM and 5KM options for both runners and walkers. Register.

Hamilton Farmers Market | Sunday 16th 8:00am-12:00pm at Claudelands Gate 3. Your authentic farmers' market - fresh seasonal fruit & vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, eggs, milk, bread, honey, condiments - buy local, support local. Info.

Two-Wheeled Ninjas | Sunday 16th 8:30am-10:00am at Ninja Valley. Arrive on a bicycle/scooter from 8:30am onwards at Ninja Valley and play for free until 10am. Info.

Boon x Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery | Sunday 16th 12:00-4:00pm at Waikato Museum. Live artists in action, live music, and kids competitions. Info.

Learn 2 Skate Roller Derby | Sunday 16th 1:00-3:00pm at Melville Skate Park. Roller derby has been getting some pretty cool media attention worldwide lately. Have you ever thought you wanted to give it a go? Well, now is your chance! It's fun, great exercise and not at all as scary as it looks! Register.

Boon Festival Wrap Party | Sunday 16th 4:00pm at Patrons Brewing. Spot prizes, everyone welcome! Info.

St Patricks’ Day | Monday 17th from 8:00am at Biddy Mulligans. A breakfast sitting, the glorious day scene, and live music all day with over 10 groups performing. Info.

Watercolour and Wine Night - Early Morning Walk | Tuesday 18th 7:00-9:00pm at Good Neighbour. A beginner's watercolour painting event full of fluid colour mixing and delicate brushwork where you’ll craft your own bespoke watercolour artwork. Tickets.

Balloons Over Waikato Photography Walk | Wednesday 19th 7:00-8:00am at Innes Common. Try out the latest Canon gear and take your photography skills to the next level as we capture stunning moments and breathtaking views of the Hot Air Balloons. Tickets.

Enterprise Angels March Pitch Night | Wednesday 19th 5:00-7:30pm at Waikato Innovation Park. The regular Pitch Nights are an opportunity to network with investors, entrepreneurs and other like minded individuals supporting the early stage (Angel Investment) space. Tickets.

New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards Exhibition | All week at Artspost Galleries and Shop. Bringing together an exceptional array of artistic vision, creativity, and mastery. Info.

Always double-check event details haven’t changed since you received this email. Did I forget anything? Flick me an email.

🎶 Live music across Hamilton

The Factory | I Am Giant | Thursday 13th. Tickets.

Biddy Mulligans | Persons of Interest | Friday 14th.

Amuse at Skycity | Mike and Wendy | Friday 14th 8:30pm-12:30am.

Nivara Lounge | Watch Out for Your Ears | Friday 14th. Tickets.

The Factory | Alien Weaponry | Friday 14th. Tickets.

Lovegrove Lane in Ham East | Tessa De Lyon and Timothy Blackman | Saturday 15th at 12:00pm. Info.

Biddy Mulligans | Sound Cartel | Saturday 15th.

Nivara Lounge | Matthew Bannister (album release) | Saturday 15th. Tickets.

Last Place | Dartz With Shaun's Bday & Pink Plates | Saturday 15th. Tickets.

Amuse at Skycity | Grape Escape | Sunday 16th 8:30pm-12:30am.

Biddy Mulligans | The Greasy Wheels | Monday 17th. Info.

Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts | A Matinee at the Paris Opera | Wednesday 19th. Tickets.

Missing a show? Email me so I can get my act together!

👀 Hamilton headlines you may have missed

Te Huia rail service has been a hit for weekend day trips to Auckland to the extent that plans are underway to add a Sunday service between Hamilton and the super city. Te Huia’s patronage has been on the up, according to the latest public transport stats for the Waikato region - the rise is especially striking on Saturdays with a 42% passenger increase compared to the same quarter of 2023. Read.

CBD workers who’ve spent the past few years parking for free in the Old Mill Street car park on the corner of Seddon Road and Old Mill Street will soon have to pay to leave their vehicles there. The loss of the last bastion of free CBD parking is unwelcome news to workers, who say they can’t afford a $6 a day fee. Read.

Lower speed limits may stick around on two well-used Hamilton routes, despite a Government-ordered reversal. The rule change requires councils to reverse speed reductions made since 2019 - but Hamilton City Council staff propose keeping the lower limits on a piece of Cobham Dr, heading from the CBD to Melville (used to be 80kph, currently 60kph), and on Ruakura road (used to be 60kph, currently 50kph). Read.

Hamilton’s young bar-goers have spoken out after a popular local venue banned those aged under 20 from their premises. Last month, House on Hood announced it would return to being a “20+ bar” on Saturday nights. Read.

🚧 Roadworks this week

• A series of streets around FMG Stadium Waikato will be closed on Saturday 15 March for a Super Rugby game. 

• A series of streets around the city will be closed for parts of Sunday 16 March for the Hamilton Half Marathon - Sillary Street, MacFarlane Street, Memorial Drive, River Road, Claudelands Road, Victoria Street.

• Cobham Drive / State Highway 1C (from Wairere Drive to the Melville Skate Park, and from Tristram Street to the Cobham Drive Bridge) and Normandy Avenue (from Bader Street to Cobham Drive) will be closed until Sunday 16 March, from 8pm–5am for road resurfacing.

• One direction of Duke Street (from Greenwood Street to Ellis Street) will be closed from Monday 17 March to Friday 21 March, for footpath and kerb renewal work. 

• Lake Domain Drive (from Killarney Road to Gilbass Avenue) will be closed from Tuesday 18 March to Saturday 22 March, from 5.30am – 10.30am for the Balloons over Waikato event. 

• Te Ara Pekapeka Bridge (from Cobham Drive to Peacockes Road) will be closed on Wednesday 19 March, from 10am – 2pm for bridge abutment work.  

• The entire length of Arthur Place will be closed until Monday 31 March from 7am – 6pm, for footpath and kerb renewal work.

Thanks for reading Hello Hamilton. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who should check out a Boon Street Art Festival event this week!

Have any suggestions for what you would like to see in future editions? Reply to this email ([email protected]) and let me know! I’d love to hear from you.

See you next Thursday.

— Ben