👋🏼 Hello Hamilton

We’re on the radio! Tune into Waikato’s community radio station Free FM 89.0FM at around 8:10am-ish every Thursday to hear me yap about this growing community and what’s happening in Hamilton, live on-air!

Thanks for reading again today. First time? I’m Ben from Hamilton East 👋🏼 and today we’re covering the best things happening in Hamilton and local news headlines you can’t miss. Join 10,000+ Hamiltonians here.

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🎟️ What’s happening in Hamilton this week?

Chill & Chat: Books Galore | Thu 17th 10:00am at Glenview Library. Bring your friends, make new ones, and chat up a storm about everyone’s latest book obsessions over a cuppa. Info.  

Quiz Night | Thu 17th 6:00pm at Biddy Mulligans. Put your thinking caps on and get ready for a one-time-only quiz night event packed with brain-testing challenges. This is a fundraising quiz night to help keep their creative community spaces strong. Info.

Comedy - Kevin Fraser: Imagination Tour | Thu 17th 8:00pm at Gallagher Academy. Join South African comedian Kevin Fraser for his #Imagination2025 comedy tour, a galactic journey blending classic humour with futuristic satire and local flavour. Tickets.    

Winter Warmer - Intrinsic Movement Circle | Fri 18th 7:00pm at Sun Salute Yoga Studio. A space for exploring the innate movement shapes and rhythms within the body, through dance and/or expressive movement. No dance experience is required and all bodies welcome. Tickets.  

Standup Comedy Show | Fri 18th 7:30pm at Lido Cinema. Join for a night of laughs! Come and see some of the best up and coming comics from around NZ! Tickets.  

Live music - Vegetable.machine.animal ‘Guest’ National Tour | Fri 18th 9:00pm at Last Place. A live conversation between plants, fungi, machines, and human musicians. Info.  

Waikato Baby Expo 2025 | Sat 19th and Sun 20th 9:00am at Claudelands. Discover all you need to know for you, your pregnancy or young child. Gain expert, up-to-date advice from a diverse range of exhibitors and experiment with products and services to find what best suits your needs. Tickets.  

Clothes Swap | Sat 19th 11:00am-1:00pm at Pukete Neighbourhood House. Want to trade your old clothes for some sweet new threads, but don't want to contribute to fast fashion? Bring your good-quality used clothes and choose from a selection of clothes others have donated. Tickets.  

Rolled Ice Cream Charity Day | Sat 19th 12:00-5:00pm at Copper and Cream. Come to the dessert bar to enjoy $2 rolled ice cream! Info.  

All Blacks v France | Sat 19th 7:05pm at FMG Stadium. The All Blacks face France in Hamilton. Tickets. 

Diva Fever | Sat 19th 8:00pm at Biddy Mulligans. Dolly, Cher & ABBA – The Ultimate Tribute Show! Get ready for a dazzling night of iconic music and unforgettable performances in this epic 3-hour tribute spectacular! Tickets.  

Golden Oldies After Party | Sat 19th 10:00pm at The Bank. Party in town after the French test this July, there’ll be DJs inside, a live band outside, and a great crowd enjoying all the old school songs from the 80s and 90s that you know and love. Tickets.

Your Author Showcase | Sun 20th 1:30 - 3:00pm at Trust Waikato Building. Stop hiding your writing or book at home - come and share your story, flash fiction, poetry or book. Info.  

Music - Funky Sunday | Sun 20th 3:00-6:00pm at Biddy Mulligans. 'Smokey Dayz Band' are joined by fellow funk brothers Quixotic Minds to bring a funk show like no other to your Sunday afternoon. Info. 

Ring Making Workshop | Sun 20th 4:00-7:00pm at Arts for Health. Create a unique piece of jewellery using wax and set with gemstones. After the session, each participant's wax piece will be cast in silver, meticulously filed, polished, and mailed to them in a gift box. Tickets.  

Kahukiwa Storytime | Sun 20th and 27th 10:30 and 11:30am at Waikato Museum. Join for a magical journey through the vibrant world of Robyn Kahukiwa. Inspired by her powerful artwork and beloved picture books, AIO Puppetry brings her stories to life in a unique, family-friendly puppetry performance. Tickets.  

➡️ A peek at what’s on next week!

Levansa Trio: Saint-Säens and Martinu | Wed 23rd 1:00pm at Gallagher Academy. They begin their 2025 NZ tour with a debut performance in Hamilton, performing dynamic and evocative piano trios by Martinu, Salina Fisher (NZ) and Saint-Säens. Tickets.  

Paint and Wine Night - a Night In Paris | Thu 24th 7:00 pm at The Bank. Join for a creative night of drinking and painting in the heart of Hamilton! Tickets.  

Just Kidding Stand-Up Comedy Night | Thu 24th 7:30pm at Patrons Brewing Co. Eight hilarious ladies are ready to bring down the house. Tickets.  

July Party with Hamilton Salsa | Fri 25th 7:00pm at Puu Toi. Enjoy a night of social dancing with Cuban Sala, Cha Cha Cha and more. Info.  

Comedy: Chris Parker - Stop Being So Dramatic | Fri 25th 7:30pm at Claudelands. Join Chris Parker for an hour of high-intensity, feverishly paced, and dizzyingly expressive comedy. Tickets.  

Music - Jazmine Mary: I Want To Rock And Roll Tour | Fri 25th 8:00pm at Last Place. Jazmine Mary releases Third Studio Album ‘I Want To Rock And Roll’ and will celebrate with a live show to mesmerise. Tickets.  

Waikato Mid-Winter Retro Fair 2025 | Sat 26th 9:00am-2:00pm at The Barn, Claudelands. This fair’s stall holders will have a huge range of genuine retro (1950's-1980's) items for sale. Furniture, clothing, homewares, collectables and more! Info.  

Fibretron 2025 | Sat 26th 10:00am - 4:00pm at Mystery Creek. Fibretron is the ultimate destination for yarn and fibre enthusiasts. You'll find independent yarn dyers, knitwear designers, and raw material producers, all under one roof. Info.  

Plantathon | Sat 26th 11:00am - 1:00pm at Caernarvon Park. Hamilton City Council has set a goal to increase Hamilton's less than 2% native vegetation to 10% by 2050! Be prepared to come down with a spade and some gloves (if you have them). Register.  

Bed By 10 | Sat 26th 4:00 - 9:00pm at The Factory. Bed By 10 is a chance for ravers over 30 to relive the peak of the 80s, 90s & early 2000s clubbing scene! Expect crazy visuals, confetti showers, Co2 cannons and more! Tickets.  

Heathen Combat: "Never Take Friendship Personal" | Sat 26th 6:00pm at Zeal. Heathen Combat has defeated every holder of the Hand of Date. So who's next for the Navigator of Heathen Combat, Kid Nova? The Ace. The Duke of Death. Tickets.  

Magic Pete’s Talent Show | Sat 26th 6:30pm at Suburbs Community Sports Club. For a senior rugby fundraising event, the senior rugby boys are putting on a show. Tickets.  

Dead Sexy: A Tribute to Tease | Sat 26th 7:30pm at Biddy Mulligans. Step into the celestial spotlight for Dead Sexy: A Tribute to Tease—a show-stopping burlesque séance where rhinestones meet the grave in the most glamorous way imaginable. Tickets.  

Dally's Bday Bash 2 | Sat 26th 7:30pm at Last Place. The hardcore show of the year brought to you by Dallas and Brick by Brick Production. Tickets.  

Giggly Jiggly's | Sat 26th 8:00pm at Nivara Lounge. It will be a night of Comedy, Live Music and DJ Goldfinger, with your headline host Chase Bolton. Your 1st drink is on Chase. Tickets.  

Mid-Winter Creative Market | Sun 27th 8:00am - 12:00pm at Hamilton Farmers’ Market. This Creative Market is focused on locally created items, sold by their creator. You'll enjoy our vibrant farmers' market environment and be inspired by local makers from our region that love to create. Info.  

Concert - In Her Arms: A Choral Tribute to Mothers | Sun 27th 2:00 - 4:00pm at St Paul’s Collegiate School. A concert extravaganza featuring Cantando Choir, Girls' and Boys' Choirs of All Hallows Chapel, Hamilton Tron Songsters, Anna Leese (soprano) and Nico Schuitemaker (treble). Tickets.  

Event organiser? Submit your event to Hello Hamilton.

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

👀 Local news you may have missed

Unseasonable blooms, mild mornings, more rain and record highs have kept the worst of winter away from Hamilton, and are likely to become the new norm. Anecdotal reports of a much warmer winter in Hamilton have been confirmed by Earth Sciences NZ, recording its highest Hamilton July temperature since records began in 1906. Read.

The minister behind massive changes to polytechnics around the country says the Government has no plans to restructure staff or courses at Hamilton’s Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). The only change would be Wintec leaving the soon to be former Te Pūkenga/New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. From January 1, 2026 Wintec will return to regional governance. Read.

Jetstar’s Sydney to Hamilton flight on Monday left 20 passengers behind and arrived without any luggage after being overfilled during refuelling. Jetstar says it knows the situation is frustrating, and the company will cover “reasonable expenses” for those affected. Read.

Hamilton’s largest aquatic and fitness facility, Waterworld, is back open for business, after being closed for a month for maintenance and upgrades. The closure was a chance to begin the first phase of construction work, including changing room refurbishments, new floors and updated group fitness and function rooms. Read.

Winston Peters has thrown his support behind Te Huia’s new Sunday service, signalling that interregional rail could become a political bargaining chip as the 2026 general election approaches. The interregional service between Hamilton and Auckland was recently given the green light to operate seven days a week, with the new Sunday schedule set to launch on July 27. Read.

Political newcomer and Pasifika leader Rachel Karalus has launched a bid to be Hamilton’s next mayor. She reckons “same-same” won’t do the trick for the city and says she would bring her experience as the former boss of charitable trust K’aute Pasifika, plus in law and governance. Read.

Two new Hamilton bridges have added another trophy to their cabinet, taking out a prestigious global award. Te Ara Pekapeka and the Taurapa bridges have won the Eugene C. Figg Jr. Medal at the International Bridge Conference Awards in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Read.

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See you next week!

— Ben