By: Helana Mulder, reporter
This weekend marked the tenth anniversary of Downtown Hamilton’s famous art festival, Supercrawl. Thousands of people filled James Street for this fun, free event as several vendors sold their music, food, or art. Supercrawl’s official website states that the event first came about as a way “to expand the promise of James Street North’s monthly Art Crawl.”
Festivals like this help bring together a community and reinvent the preconceived notions of downtown Hamilton. Some of the bands and musicians performing included Lights, Hollerado, Iskwé, The Kents, Broken Social Scene, Shade, and the Hamilton’s Children’s Choir. There were two stages set up, one at each end of the street, and music being played throughout the festival.
If art is more of your thing, several artists showcased and sold their work along the street. Nat Lantz, an avid Supercrawler, said that there were “some pretty wild sculptures” on James this weekend. Many artists also sold amazing paintings and photographs that demonstrated great attention to detail.
Along with all the art, music, and food, there were churches and boutiques that opened their doors to the public for this event. There were also various performers that lined the street to showcase their talent. One performance, in particular, was a fashion show that was right in the middle of the festival. Allison Bos, after watching this fashion show, said, “It was a great opportunity to see different styles and watch people have fun on stage. I really liked how the designers mixed 1950’s and modern trends.”
This weekend was full of great food, obscure art, and amazing music. Supercrawl is a cool way for people who have never been downtown to get a taste of everything there is to see. If you have not been, I recommend you grab your Presto card, a few friends, and a couple dollars next year and have fun experiencing all that downtown has to offer.
