By: Grace Rajballie | September 17, 2019
Although this past weekend had mixed weather, the rain didn’t stop the city of Hamilton from hosting its eleventh annual arts festival, Supercrawl! Each year, the Student Life team at Redeemer organizes a trip to Supercrawl, recognizing that it is a great opportunity for students to explore the downtown core, while experiencing live music, art and food!
This year, the festival hosted over fifty different musicians and bands, showcasing various Canadian groups like Jess and Tay, Jennifer Castle, Lacey Hill, Stars, and many more. In addition to the music, artists set up booths along James Street North to sell their work. Many vendors sold “traditional” art pieces like paintings and portraits, but mixed among this were unique pieces like cat beds, gemstone jewellery, dog coats and funky socks! Mercel Bautista, a first year student at Redeemer, explained that she: “enjoyed seeing the different small businesses”, and purchased a keychain from a macramé artist.
Although Supercrawl is filled with artwork and live performances, there is no shortage of food! Julia Thaut, a new student at Redeemer, appreciated the culinary variety, saying, “We had way too much food. We had really awesome fish tacos and then we had a ton of ice cream. It was amazing.”
Supercrawl’s collection of musicians, artwork, and delicious food is a mere sample of the creativity Hamilton offers. Too often, people think of Hamilton in connection with the polluted Harbour front and steel industry, overlooking the amazing elements of this city. First year student, Stephen Goossen, explained how his visit to Supercrawl gave him a whole new perspective on the city, saying, “There was a lot of art, and the culture was very different from what I thought. From this festival I had a completely different interpretation of downtown Hamilton”.
If you haven’t already, mark your calendars for next year’s Supercrawl, whether you go to jam out to some cool tunes, admire the artwork or fill your belly, it’s an event that will definitely leave you wanting to explore the city of Hamilton even more!