6 things to do in Hamilton if you need a break from Supercrawl
SO, YOU’RE PLANNING to come to Supercrawl this weekend. It’s going to be a blast.
There is so much to do and see. You can watch dozens of bands on six stages, including Polaris Prize winning artist Tanya Tagaq, Hamilton’s Born in The Eighties appearing as Daft Punk, weird and eclectic Persons and their fabulous dance crew, The Vaudevillian performing on an actual stage, and a band whose name doesn’t reflect their musical genre at all — Pucumber Sasssquash Family Band.
You can go to an artist talk by Leacock Award-winning author Gary Barwin. You can step into a giant camera obscura. And you can see several plays, including one with a purely Hamilton throwback title, “Shakespeare in a Studebaker.”
But sometimes — like anyone that lives on James Street North knows — you need to get away from the massive crowds, lines of food trucks and constant noise. Fortunately, there is plenty to do in Hamilton for just about anyone.
Here are six things to do in the city, unrelated or loosely related to Supercrawl.
1. Escape from prison
Because sometimes being in a crowd of 100,000 people feels like a prison, you can actually escape from prison. Just kidding.
Hamilton is host to a prison break race Saturday, called “Escape from Alcatraz.” The race — six kilometres for adults and teens, 1.5 km for 8- to 13-year-olds, and a 500 metre race for 4- to 8-year-olds — takes place in Binbrook Conservation Area. The race is an obstacle course and, yes, you are being chased by prison guards and police.
For registration and event details, go to: tickets.justrun.ca
2. Visit the best cinema ever
What’s a better Saturday morning activity than lounging around and watching a classic fantasy flick? Even better, in a cinema that’s inexpensive, practically always empty and boasts the most comfortable recliner seats imaginable.
Landmark Cinema in Jackson Square is screening the dystopian 1971 fantasy movie “THX 1138,” directed by George Lucas and starring Robert Duvall. The movie costs $5 and starts at 10:15 a.m., so you can watch a film about breaking out of a future world where nobody has free will, before waiting in a line of 70
The museum is hosting ‘Classics of the Golden Age,’ where you will be able to see an actual Studebaker.
hungry festivalgoers for a grilled cheese sandwich.
Find tickets on: landmarkcinemas.com
3. Play ball
If you’re thinking, ‘I’d like to go to Supercrawl, but I’m not sure I can go a few hours without playing pinball,’ you are in luck.
There are pinball games on James Street North, specifically at Knead Pizza, but you better get in line now. Another option for pinball and video game fans is Arcade in Hess Village, which reopened Sept. 7 after a lengthy hiatus. Arcade, on top of Moodys at 107 George St., opens at 8 p.m. every evening, and Moodys has seriously good food to go with your classic arcade game fix.
4. Less pedestrian friendly
You won’t see any cars on James Street North this weekend. Is that a problem? If you’re into cars, and have no time for pedestrian-packed closed streets, the Warplane Heritage Museum is the place to be.
The museum is hosting “Classics of the Golden Age,” where you will be able to see an actual Studebaker, but probably not a play about Shakespeare in a Studebaker. If that doesn’t pique your interest, the classic cars on display will be mixed in with a variety of vintage airplanes from the museum’s collection.
Admission ranges from $9 to $13, depending on your age, and it runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information go to: warplane.com
5. Buy something different
There will be a lot of things to buy at Supercrawl: Hamilton souvenirs, art and knick-knacks of all sorts, but maybe instead you are looking for an Art Deco rocking chair.
Just north on Highway 6, and then west on Highway 5, Saturday, is the bi-annual Christie Antique & Vintage Show. The lakeside show has 10 acres of dealers carrying a huge variety of collectibles.
Find out more about the antique show and check out the massive list of dealers at: christieshow.ca
6. Just sing
There is plenty of music at Supercrawl. Bands outdoors. Bands indoors. Rock bands and dance bands. Bands in the early hours and bands late at night. If, instead of listening to music, you want to get on stage and rock an Elvis tune in a dark and rambunctious karaoke bar, Happy Hourz is the place.
Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. daily at Happy Hourz except on Supercrawl Friday and Saturday: their festival karaoke hours are 8 p.m. to 2:15 a.m., and children are welcome until 10 p.m. The karaoke bar is at the corner of Vine at MacNab streets, just off James North. Their Supercrawl after-parties will certainly be the most karaoke-friendly events of the weekend.
Jeremy Kemeny is a James Street North resident, a karaoke fan and a web producer for TheSpec.com. Find him on the street covering Supercrawl for The Spec. His Twitter handle is @Keminoes.