Welcome back to another edition of Hello Hamilton! I’ve got a bunch of good stuff in here this week so I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see ya out there!

First time here? I’m Ben from Pukete 👋🏼 Join 10,000+ Hamiltonians here, and check us out on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s been great to see so many of you grabbing your Hello Hamilton Card. Haven’t secured yours yet? There’s still time - but get in quick, as the store closes soon as we start to prepare deliveries!

The Hello Hamilton Card is fun new way to explore some of Hamilton’s best spots while snagging great savings. We’ve teamed up with 14 awesome local partners offering one-time discounts, so you can save while supporting local:

Grab one for yourself, a few for the family, one for the neighbour, and a bunch for your colleagues at work. 😉 If you’re keen to grab a bunch (think a unique gift for your team, or a fun add-on for your customers), reply to this email and we’ll sus out a deal for you.

I’ve got a new idea… a way to get us all together to meet new people and explore new food spots. A type of Hello Hamilton Dinner Club where we get matched up with a few strangers, enjoy a meal together, and have some fun.

Let me know your thoughts - if this gets approved by you, I’ll get to work.

Business Fundamentals Growth Lab | Applications close Fri 28th at Soda, Wintec. Register to a free programme for wāhine founders and women-led startups or small businesses. Register >  

🧊 Ice Rink | Fri 28th 10:00am - 10:00pm at Claudelands Event Centre. Experience the magic of winter in Hamilton with a 100% Frozen Ice Rink! Get icy >

Life Drawing | Fri 28th 12:20pm at St Peter’s Cathedral. Join the longest running Untutored Life Drawing group in Hamilton to study human anatomy and gesture of short and long poses. Running every Friday. Grab your tickets >

Hilarious Hypnosis Show | Fri 28th 7:00pm at Gallagher Academy. As seen on Seven Sharp (TVNZ) and going viral on TikTok, Hypnotist Haiming Jiang is bringing his hit Comedy Hypnosis Show to Hamilton. Tickets > 

🎵 Brainwave Album Release Tour | Fri 28th 8:00pm at Last Place. Wellington hardcore outfit Brainwave are bringing their razor sharp riffage and anabolic aggression to Hamilton. With support from Hamilton’s Martial Law. Jam out >  

🌿 BioBlitz | Sat 29th 9:00am - 1:00pm at The Watershed. The Fairfield Project is hosting their annual BioBlitz, with an open day for the community to see what has been achieved in the Kukutaaruhe Gully. Activities include a nature walk, stream investigation, sensory soundscapes, making a nest, botanical mosaics and more! Check it out >  

Waikato Christmas Market | Sat 29th 9:00am - 4:00pm at The Barn, Claudelands. The market features a gorgeous selection of quality artisan goods and beautifully handcrafted gifts, fine art, skincare, wooden toys, leatherware, candles, fresh food and more. Get Christmassy >

🧚 Stories in the Garden | Sat 29th 10:00am at Garden Place. Come on a magical adventure under the trees in Garden Place. Enjoy an hour of storytelling and games with characters from Enchanted Entertainment. Bring the kids >  

Career Choices Day | Sat 29th 10:00am - 1:00pm at Hamilton City Campus, Wintec. Meet with Wintec’s friendly team and passionate academic staff who will help guide you through your study options and provide tailored advice for your journey. Hit the books > 

Anton Shepp Exhibition Match | Sat 29th 3:00 - 7:00pm at Waikato Tennis Center. Help get Anton back out on the professional circuit and come for a fun-filled day with friends and family. Cheer them on >

🧘 Yoga Wellness Day | Sat 29th 4:00 - 7:30pm at The Link. Join for a wonderful 1-day yoga retreat, bring your friends, rest, and rejuvenate. Get yo’ yoga on >  

🕺 Bed By 10 | Sat 29th 4:00 - 9:00pm at House on Hood. Fancy going out for a dance but not keen on sacrificing the next day? Bed By 10 is a chance for ravers over 30 to relive the peak of the 80s, 90s & early 2000s clubbing scene! Party before bedtime >  

🎄 Christmas Tree Lighting Festival | Sat 29th 5:00 - 9:00pm at Garden Place. Get ready for an unforgettable night as the Christmas tree gets lit up for the first time. Festive fun and dazzling lights with food trucks, face painting, live entertainment and more! Watch the tree get lit >  

7 Days Live | Sat 29th 7:30pm at Claudelands. Come down and see Jeremy Corbett, Dai Henwood, Hayley Sproull, Paul Ego, Josh Thomson, Ben Hurley and Justine Smith smash all barriers of proper behaviour, with no cameras, censors, editors or rules. Go for some laughs > 

Standup Comedy Show | Sat 29th 8:00pm at Lido Cinema. Join for a night of laughs with some of the best up and coming comics from around NZ! More laughs here > 

🚗 Waikato Motor Mania | Sun 30th 7:30am at Classics Museum. Live Aero Engine Running Demonstration to the iconic Bugatti Atlantic, plus motorcycles, collectibles, live music, food, and more! Rev it up > 

🧺 Fair Enough Artists Market | Sun 30th 10:00am - 3:00pm at Hamilton Central Library. Join to celebrate Waikato’s mahi toi, local artists, live music, and kapa haka. Support local >  

Book Binding | Mon 1st 10:00am at St Andrews Library. Create a journal this December for yourself or to gift! Get amongst it >  

🎅 Christmas Display - Opening Night | Mon 1st 8:30pm at 11a Hamblyn Crescent. Come along to the opening night for the 2025 Christmas season! Santa will be here handing out candy canes to the kids who visit. Go on, meet Santa >  

Pop-Up $5 Sale | Tue 2nd - Thu 4th at 325 Victoria Street. Dress For Success Hamilton is having a Pop-Up $5 sale on Victoria Street! Gently used high-quality women’s clothes and shoes will all be $5. Get some steals >  

🎨 Paint and Wine Night | Tue 2nd 7:00pm at The Bank. The concept is simple - take a brush in one hand, a drink in the other, and paint a masterpiece! Show off that painting >  

🏀 Ignite Cup: Breakers vs Sydney Kings | Wed 3rd 7:30pm at Claudelands. The BNZ Breakers are back at Claudelands Arena, taking on rivals the Sydney Kings in a blockbuster Ignite Cup showdown. Watch those ballers >  

HaHaHamilton Comedy Lounge | Wed 3rd 8:00pm at Nivara Lounge. Come for a laugh and enjoy this line up with MC Callum Wagstaff, Chey Johanson, Mihir Roy, Shaun O'Neill, Tim Shipton, Stefan Ayto, Sam Barnes & Jesse Matthews. Hello HaHaHamilton, enjoy >   

🎼 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. Hear some tunes >  

🎁 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! Get festive > 

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! Get even more festive >

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. It’s the weekend of markets >  

🛷 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! Watch the Hamilton tradition >

Sounds of Splendour | Sun 7th 5:00pm at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Experience the magic of the season with a Christmas concert of classical and living composers, presented by the Hamilton Civic Choir! Enjoy some festive songs >

🚙 On-street all-day parking rates at selected central city locations are set to become cheaper, making it more cost-effective for workers and long-stay visitors. From Monday 24 November, Hamilton City Council will introduce lower pricing at locations where occupancy is below 85%. Read.

🌳 Work on the Waiwhakareke predator-free fence has been approved, bringing Hamilton closer to its first fully enclosed ecological sanctuary. The project, long championed by city nature advocates, will create a Maungatautari-style sanctuary next to the zoo, accessible to residents. Read.

🍷 Hamilton’s newest culinary offerings are stepping into the spotlight, with five eateries and bars set to open in the Waikato Regional Theatre precinct. Two are already welcoming guests, including the newly opened Hamilton Hotel and the revamped Wonder Horse bar. Read.

🌟 Families can kick off the summer holidays with an interactive neon quest as multi-sensory show GLOtron! comes to Hamilton. The blend of science, education, art, storytelling and puppetry will pop up in Centre Place Shopping Centre from December 6. Read.

🏟️ Two of Hamilton’s most iconic event venues are now, or soon will be, without a name. Branding experts say the unnamed Waikato Regional Theatre and soon-to-be nameless FMG Stadium Waikato present a massive opportunity for some ultra-valuable exposure. Read.

All done for today. Now time to grab yourself a Hello Hamilton Card!

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